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LAPLANDER. 
 
THE 
 
 LAND OF THE VIKING 
 
 AND THE 
 
 EMPIRE OF THE TSAR 
 
 BY 
 
 E. FRAZER BLACKSTOCK 
 
 ILLUSTRATED 
 
 NEW YORK AND LONDON 
 
 G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
 
 1889 
 
v/ 
 
 COPYRIGHT BY 
 
 E. FRAZER BLACKSTOCK 
 
 
 THE LIBRARY | 
 OF C OMO* B*» 
 
 WASHING*?* 
 
 Ube Tfcnfcfterbocfeer press 
 
 Electrotyped and Printed by 
 G. P. Putnam's Sons 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. Into a Strange Country . 3 
 II. From the North Cape to 
 
 Christiania .... 28 
 
 III. Stockholm en Fete — Over the 
 
 Baltic . . . . .42 
 
 IV. The Great Cathedral — Its 
 
 Music, Worshippers, Ikons, 
 and Strange Ceremonials . 66 
 V. More Churches, Shrines, and 
 Monasteries — Drives about 
 the Capital .... 82 
 VI. Days at Tsarskoe Selo and 
 
 Peterhof . . . .101 
 VII. A Glimpse at the Hermitage . 126 
 VIII. Our Last Day in St. Peters- 
 burg — Seeing the Winter 
 Palace— On to Moscow . 149 
 IX. The Wonders of the Kremlin, 166 
 X. Sights outside the Kremlin — 
 
 Adieu to Russia . . .186 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Laplander .... Frontispiece *' 
 Norwegian Carriole . . . . 10 l 
 Laplander's Hut, near Tromso . . 26^ 
 The Old Viking Ship, Christiania . 38^ 
 St. Isaac's Cathedral St. Petersburg. 66^ 
 
 Emperor of Russia 100 t 
 
 Empress of Russia . . . . . 126^ 
 44 tsar-kolokol," or klng of bells, 
 
 Kremlin, Moscow . . . .180 
 Church of St. Basil The Beatified, 
 
 Moscow 192" 
 
 Romanoff House, Moscow . . . 200 
 
THE LAND OF THE VIKING 
 
 AND THE EMPIRE OF 
 
 THE TSAR. 
 
DRAMATIS PERSONS. 
 
 The Chief — Whose letters to the press won 
 golden opinions, and whose courage sur- 
 mounted all difficulties. 
 
 The Matron — Whose thoughtful kindness 
 knew no bounds, and who became an expe- 
 rienced whip, overcoming timidity by deter- 
 mination. 
 
 The Signorina — The calm, experienced travel- 
 ler, whose success as a linguist brought joy 
 to our perturbed spirits. 
 
 The Madame — Willing to try all languages 
 and every national dish. 
 
 The Squire — Always ready, and of an un- 
 daunted spirit. 
 
THE LAND OF THE VIKING 
 
 AND THE EMPIRE OF 
 
 THE TSAR. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTO A STRANGE COUNTRY. 
 
 With the first glimpse of the 
 Norwegian coast we felt an instinct- 
 ive desire to cast ourselves upon 
 the rocks and cling to them, for they 
 at least had an anchorage and were 
 quiet. Oh ! that never-to-be-forgot- 
 ten passage across the North Sea ! ! ! 
 
 Sailing up the channel, before 
 reaching Bergen we were charmed 
 with the beauty of earth, sea, and 
 sky. Around us irregular cliffs on 
 either side, dotted here and there 
 with small hamlets, gave us an idea 
 of the thrift of the people. They 
 
4 Land of the Viking. 
 
 make the best of every thing. 
 Wherever there is a comparatively 
 level space, some sturdy Norseman 
 has built his little house, and every 
 inch of productive ground is utilized. 
 We found Bergen a picturesque 
 town of great age, built in the form 
 of a crescent at the foot of a range of 
 hills. The approach is beautiful. 
 The oldest part of the town is on 
 the north side of the harbor, where 
 formerly merchants of the Hanseatic 
 league carried on their business. 
 Now it is the fish-market, and in 
 summer presents a lively appearance. 
 From the deck of our ship we 
 watched men and women preparing 
 the cargoes for numerous small sail- 
 ing-vessels lying at the wharves. 
 Tons of dried fish were tied into 
 bundles, to be shipped to Rome for 
 use during Lent. How strange the 
 town appeared, with its narrow 
 streets, slanting roofs, quaint old 
 
Into a Strange Country. 5 
 
 buildings, and appalling hills. From 
 every side came row-boats to meet 
 our ship, and passengers, with their 
 luggage, were conveyed by them to 
 different parts of the town. We 
 drove over a steep, winding road to 
 the Hotel Scandinavie, a quaint, 
 cleanly little hotel, deservedly rec- 
 ommended by Baedeker, where every 
 thing seemed novel to us. We 
 were amused to see our names writ- 
 ten in full on a blackboard hanging 
 in the main hall, the number of the 
 room assigned to each guest being 
 placed before the name, an arrange- 
 ment we found in every hotel in 
 Norway, Sweden, Russia, and 
 Poland. 
 
 Our first Norwegian meal was 
 somewhat surprising. The food 
 was clean and well served, but much 
 of it unlike any we had before tasted. 
 Of course there is an abundance of 
 fresh fish. Of the various kinds of 
 
6 Land of the Viking. 
 
 bread, only one was palatable. The 
 national flat-brod, except for the 
 purpose of experimenting, we left 
 for the natives. The staple article 
 of diet, however, is cheese, there 
 rarely being less than seven varieties 
 at each meal. One resembled a 
 brick in form and color, and the 
 taste must be an acquired one, for it 
 is peculiar, to say the least. " I like 
 cheese," said our Chief, with his 
 characteristic bravery, and with a 
 feeling of anxiety we watched him 
 follow the Norwegian custom of eat- 
 ing some at each meal, experiment- 
 ing on the seven kinds before leaving 
 Bergen. 
 
 From the hour of our arrival we 
 felt a sense of the rest and quiet pe- 
 culiar to the country. Norwegians 
 seem to be imbued with the idea that 
 life is too precious to rush through, 
 and they spend some hours each day 
 in recreation, banks and offices being 
 
Into a Strange Country. J 
 
 closed from twelve to three or there- 
 abouts. 
 
 Driving through the town, the 
 pavements were sufficiently bad to 
 remind us of home, but the narrow 
 streets thronged with peasants in 
 national costumes, shops displaying 
 all sorts of wares, and a general 
 primitive air made Bergen attractive 
 to us. 
 
 Our first Norwegian sunset we 
 viewed from the summit of a hill ad- 
 jacent to the hotel. The clouds 
 were of a lovely tint, and the sur- 
 rounding country bathed in glorious 
 light. It seemed strange to see the 
 ladies with open parasols at ten in 
 the evening. Some children playing 
 on the hill were interested in our en- 
 thusiastic appreciation of the view. 
 One of our party, with signs and at- 
 tempts at Norwegian, tried to induce 
 them to sing some national airs, but 
 failed until copper coins were pro- 
 
8 Land of the Viking. 
 
 duced, when they danced and sang 
 vigorously, following us back to the 
 hotel, their big wooden shoes making 
 a great clatter on the sidewalk. The 
 continuous twilight, added to feather 
 beds and eider-down quilts, made 
 sleep almost an impossibility, and 
 one could read all night without arti- 
 ficial light. We heard of a fair 
 American who called for a light to 
 heat her curling-tongs, but none 
 could be found in the hotel, the use 
 of candles and lamps being relegated 
 to the winter months. Alas ! for 
 bangs. 
 
 The shops occupied our attention 
 one morning, the furriers' and jewel- 
 ers' wares being tempting. Fine 
 large polar-bear rugs, with stuffed 
 heads, were inexpensive, as also were 
 those of squirrel tails, soft and pret- 
 ty, whole robes of eider-duck feath- 
 ers exquisitely dainty but perishable. 
 The silversmith's work is peculiarly 
 
Into a Strange Country. 9 
 
 fine, and the designs good. For 
 modern articles the prices are reasona- 
 ble, but all antique silver is most 
 expensive ; tankards, cups, spoons, 
 and other articles bought by the 
 jewellers from peasants in the in- 
 terior of the country are for sale 
 in the shops ; queer, short-handled 
 spoons, with round, shallow bowls, 
 have grotesque designs engraved 
 upon them. The fine old repousse 
 tankards are suggestive of the ca- 
 pacity of former generations for im- 
 bibing the delicious Norwegian ale. 
 The modern gold, silver, and oxi- 
 dized filagree jewelry and articles of 
 carved wood are purchased in quan- 
 tities by travellers. 
 
 Oh! that carriole drive which, 
 through the brilliantly sarcastic letter 
 of our Chief, has become historic. He 
 was importuned to accompany us, 
 but firmly declined, realizing, I sup- 
 pose, how much more enjoyment 
 
io Land of the Viking. 
 
 could be derived from jeering at 
 the rest of us on our return, which 
 he did without mercy. To describe 
 our start is beyond the power of my 
 pen, but a slight idea of the proces- 
 sion can be had by imagining four 
 carrioles (like the sketch) in a line, 
 with a small boy on the back of the 
 last one. The floor being small, the 
 Madame's feet had to ride outside, 
 which was restful if not picturesque. 
 The Squire led off in great style, fol- 
 lowed by the Matron, pale and 
 determined, clutching with vigor the 
 cords which served as reins ; next 
 the Signorina, calm and unconcerned, 
 with the air of one who had often 
 been there before ; lastly the Ma- 
 dame, with the worst horse in the 
 crowd ; however, he came in first. 
 The excitement in Bergen became 
 intense, the small boys congregating 
 in such numbers that a policeman 
 was forced to disperse the crowd. 
 
Into a Strange Country. 1 1 
 
 How the sturdy Norwegian ponies 
 did go up hill and down without a 
 break, the springless carrioles jolting 
 the drivers to an exhausting degree ! 
 
 The country about Bergen is beau- 
 tiful, and the roads excellent. Driving 
 along the base of a mountain we saw 
 many houses in apparently inacces- 
 sible spots ; it seems as if some of the 
 picturesque chalets might drop down 
 from their lofty elevation, built as 
 they were on narrow ledges. The 
 haymakers were working busily in the 
 fields, and many stopped to gaze 
 after the cavalcade dashing by. The 
 women far outnumbered the men ; 
 many of them had their little chil- 
 dren playing in the fresh sweet- 
 smelling hay, and babies lay basking 
 in the glorious sunlight. Peasants, 
 policemen, patricians, plebeians, all 
 had a pleasant greeting for us. 
 
 About one Norwegian, or seven 
 English miles, from Bergen stands 
 
12 Land of the Viking. 
 
 the summer residence of the United 
 States Consul, where an old stone 
 church, found in the interior, was 
 brought in sections and erected in the 
 beautiful park, where it is an object 
 of interest to the tourist, not having 
 been used for service for hundreds of 
 years. It resembles a Chinese pagoda, 
 and is supposed to have been built in 
 the eleventh century ; the grotesque 
 paintings on the walls represent dif- 
 ferent saints, the colors being well 
 preserved. As we stood by the altar 
 I could not help wondering what 
 manner of people worshipped there 
 so long, long ago ; how little we 
 knew of them ; their existence seems 
 almost mythical. 
 
 On an island not far from Bergen 
 is the country home of the late Ole 
 Bull. His memory is dear to the 
 people of his country, and also to us 
 who were privileged to hear him 
 play with the rare expression and 
 
Into a Strange Country. 1 3 
 
 brilliant execution peculiar to him- 
 self. The famous composer, Edward 
 Grieg, also lives in Bergen, and having 
 seen the picturesque country I can 
 believe that he draws inspiration for 
 his lovely music from his surround- 
 ings. In the interesting and complete 
 natural - history collection is the 
 largest whale skeleton in Europe. 
 In the same museum we also saw 
 several old church portals, curiously 
 carved, brought from the Sognedal 
 valley, some music ornaments, a 
 large number of antique tankards, 
 cabinets, wardrobes, and beds ; one of 
 the latter, being elaborately carved, is 
 probably of Dutch workmanship. 
 From the top of the Rosencrantz 
 tower, now used as an arsenal, we 
 had a fine view. 
 
 An event worthy of more than a 
 passing allusion was a business ar- 
 rangement which introduced to us a 
 young Norseman who impressed us 
 
14 Land of the Viking. 
 
 greatly. He was tall, well built, 
 fair-haired, blue-eyed, and seemed to 
 be a descendant of some old Viking, 
 possibly the one said to have built 
 for his lovely bride a stone habita- 
 tion on these shores centuries be- 
 fore the authenticated discovery of 
 America, and whose " lofty tower still 
 to this very hour stands looking sea- 
 ward." In his strength and beauty 
 the " Modern Viking," as the Signo- 
 rina dubbed him, seemed a splendid 
 specimen of the highest type of 
 Scandinavian civilization. The last 
 time we saw him we were overpow- 
 ered by his majesty and might ; the 
 very air surrounding him seemed im- 
 pregnated with an aroma of wassail- 
 bowls, feasts, and junketings of by- 
 gone days, and we almost expected 
 him to raise a tankard to his lips, 
 crying : " Skoal ! to the Norseman 
 Skoal ! " but as he drew nearer the 
 indefinable something became a well- 
 
Into a Strange Country. 1 5 
 
 defined odor of garlic and onions ! ! 
 Alas ! our Viking was human and 
 had lunched. We transacted our 
 business hastily and fled. 
 
 We saw many things of interest 
 and much that was novel. While 
 there were few evidences of great 
 wealth, there seemed to be very little 
 extreme poverty, and the people are 
 good-humored and contented. We 
 started for Throndhjem and the 
 North Cape on Friday evening by 
 the Olaf Kyrre of the Det Ber- 
 gensk Nordland Skeselskab, a for- 
 midable name for a line of steamers, 
 but a model company for all that, as 
 we were surprised to find the boat 
 equal to the best transatlantic 
 steamers. The Signorina and the 
 Madame being lucky in occupying 
 the captain's large and luxurious 
 cabin on deck, afternoon tea soon 
 became the rule. 
 
 During the thirty-eight-hour trip 
 
1 6 Land of the Viking. 
 
 to Throndhjem we passed through 
 magnificent scenery ; the irregular 
 snow-capped mountains were about 
 us continually ; the channel wound 
 in and out among myriads of islands, 
 and the sea was as smooth as the 
 proverbial mill-pond. At each stop- 
 ping place row-boats came out to 
 meet the steamer for the purpose of 
 conveying passengers to and fro. 
 At Molde, the entrance to the Roms- 
 dal, the beauty of earth, sea, and sky 
 was transcendent. Leaving Chris- 
 tiansund shortly before ten on Satur- 
 day evening, we had a vision of the 
 New Jerusalem — the different tints 
 on the hill's snowy peaks, peaceful 
 sea, together with the sun sinking 
 into the waters, shedding the most 
 exquisite light, left an impression 
 that can never be effaced. If in this 
 sin-cursed world such beauty exists, 
 what must be the glory beyond the 
 clouds ! The veil that separates us 
 
Into a Strange Country. 1 7 
 
 from Heaven seemed very thin to us 
 then, and we almost felt as if we 
 were standing before the Throne. 
 The rules of the steamship company- 
 forbid passengers remaining on board 
 while at Throndhjem, where we ar- 
 rived early Sunday morning. The 
 Hotel Angleterre, patronized by 
 Cook's tourists, we found noisy and 
 untidy ; card-playing and drinking in 
 all the public rooms forced the Eng- 
 lish and American travellers to re- 
 main in their apartments while in the 
 hotel. 
 
 We attended service in the pictu- 
 resque stone chapter-house belonging 
 to the cathedral built in 1 100 by King 
 OlafKyrre. Itisanimposingstructure, 
 having a subterranean passage to an 
 island in the harbor, which was used 
 in by-gone days as a means of escape 
 from justice. The holy well of St. 
 Olaf and a fine copy of Thorwald- 
 sen's celebrated statue of Christ are 
 
1 8 Land of the Viking. 
 
 the principal objects of interest. 
 The king of Sweden and Norway, 
 after his coronation in Stockholm, 
 comes to Throndhjem to be crowned 
 in the chancel of this cathedral. 
 During the summer English service 
 is conducted in the chapter-house, 
 there always being a large number of 
 tourists in town. 
 
 Throndhjem is busy and prosper- 
 ous, but there is little to see, 
 although some of our party found 
 the leper hospital worth visiting. 
 What misery, suffering, and wretched- 
 ness are suggested by the name of 
 that loathsome disease ; during its 
 early stages the mind of the afflicted 
 one must be a prey to the most 
 hopeless despair beyond human 
 aid; there is nothing to anticipate 
 in this life but repulsive and grad- 
 ual physical and mental decay ; 
 only a firm faith in God and a hope 
 of dwelling hereafter with Him who, 
 
Into a Strange Country. 19 
 
 when on earth, cleansed the lepers 
 from their dreadful taint, will help 
 them endure to the bitter end all the 
 horror of their lot. Strange to say, 
 in spite of the pure air of Norway, 
 there is much of the disease in the 
 country. 
 
 On Monday evening we started for 
 the North Cape in good earnest. 
 The steamer was comfortably filled 
 with about one hundred passengers. 
 When we went on board we were 
 greeted as old friends by the captain 
 and officers. Most of the inhabitants 
 of Throndhjem assembled to see the 
 steamer off, and a brass band on the 
 quay played various national airs. 
 Altogether it was a lively scene, and 
 the peasants in their gay costumes, 
 with variegated kerchiefs on the wo- 
 men's heads, made a bit of bright 
 color in the landscape. Many coun- 
 tries were represented among the 
 passengers: a large party of Paris- 
 
20 Land of the Viking. 
 
 ians, one of Germans, some Hunga- 
 rians, and a few Scandinavians were 
 hilarious. The English-speaking 
 tourists had a private table in the 
 ladies' cabin, thanks to the thought- 
 ful kindness of Captain Getz, who 
 realized that mingling with so many 
 foreigners would be uncongenial. 
 Breakfast, at nine o'clock, consisted 
 of tea, coffee, several varieties of 
 fish, one dish of meat, and the seven 
 ubiquitous cheeses. Supper, at eight 
 o'clock, was a similar meal, but the 
 event of the day was an elaborate, 
 well-served dinner at three o'clock, 
 after which we had coffee on deck 
 en famille. Notwithstanding all that 
 tourists have said and written to the 
 contrary, we found the food abun- 
 dant and very palatable. 
 
 Among the English-speaking trav- 
 ellers, we had, of course, a bride and 
 groom, whose ecstasies over each 
 other were greater than when passing 
 
Into a Strange Country. 2 1 
 
 through the most sublime scenery. 
 "But," said the Chief, with his usual 
 charity, " forgive them, they are so 
 happy, so oblivious to all the world, 
 and remember that it cannot last." 
 Also the flirtatious American whose 
 steamer-chair was surrounded by 
 admirers, and who said, with mild 
 enthusiasm, when the first glory of 
 the midnight sun burst upon .us : 
 " Is n't that real pretty, Mr. S. 
 Don't you think a gown like the 
 pink tint on that mountain would be 
 just too sweet for any thing?" 
 " Yes," he replied in a low tone and 
 with an ardent look ; " and it would 
 just match the color in your cheeks 
 
 and " Waiting to hear no more, 
 
 I fled precipitately to the captain's 
 bridge, not being able to enjoy the 
 similarity between midnight suns and 
 cheeks. 
 
 Two sisters and a brother (English) 
 did every thing in the most approved 
 
2 2 Land of the Viking. 
 
 guide-book style — alpenstocks, boots, 
 gaiters, marine-glasses, and caps, all 
 new-purchased for the trip ; profuse 
 notes of travel copied verbatim from 
 Baedeker, and a continual "Aw! 
 this is awfully jolly, don't-cher-know ; 
 perfect education for a fellah ; but 
 what a beastly bore to meet so many 
 Yankees ! they 're goin' all over the 
 world now, don't-cher-know, they are 
 so beastly rich," and so forth ad 
 nauseam. Alas ! for us, the musical 
 amateurs were there in numbers, and 
 at their concert (heaven save the 
 mark ! ) they rendered one of the 
 most glorious nights hideous. A 
 romance of short duration was the 
 mutual admiration of the good-look- 
 ing second-officer and a pretty, fair- 
 haired fraulein, who fancied no look- 
 ers-on noticed their coy blushes and 
 loving glances. Alas ! there was no 
 moonlight for them, and love-making 
 in the sun had always seemed an im- 
 
Into a Strange Country. 23 
 
 possibility until we saw how success- 
 ful they were. 
 
 Every hour the scenery became 
 finer, the Norwegian coast being re- 
 markably diversified. On Tuesday 
 we dropped anchor at the famous 
 Torghaetten Rock, and after a long, 
 fatiguing climb we reached the point 
 where there is a fine view through 
 the " hole in the hat/' which is the 
 literal meaning of the name. A large 
 opening in the mountain gave a 
 beautiful panorama of the sea and 
 adjacent islands. According to the 
 legend, a giantess pursued by an im- 
 portunate lover was saved by an ar- 
 row from her brother's bow piercing 
 the hat and head of her pursuer, 
 hence the name. The climb was 
 doubly difficult on account of the in- 
 tense heat. At intervals, on the 
 winding, stony path, we found peas- 
 ants offering fresh milk for sale, 
 which was very acceptable, and they 
 
24 Land of the Viking, 
 
 were grateful for the few copper 
 coins given them. 
 
 The evenings or rather nights, on 
 deck were glorious; watching the 
 sun set at half-past ten and rise again 
 shortly after one was an uncanny ex- 
 perience; the golden clouds and differ- 
 ent tints on the mountains — orange^ 
 pink, and purple— were indescribably 
 beautiful. The sail through the pic- 
 turesque Lofoden islands was one of 
 the most enjoyable experiences of 
 the trip ; at times the channel was so 
 narrow that it seemed impossible for 
 the steamer to avoid running against 
 the rugged cliffs; again one would 
 fancy that there was no outlet for us, 
 so surrounded were we by the " ever- 
 lasting hills/' that to turn about 
 would be the only way to solve the 
 problem. We passed quite near the 
 Maelstrom, the danger of which is 
 much less than has been popularly 
 supposed. What recollections of 
 
Into a Strange Country. 25 
 
 school-days it revived ; how vague 
 one's childish ideas were as to what 
 the Maelstrom really was ! It seemed 
 as if in the seething fury of the waves 
 there was a cruel, relentless fiend 
 grasping all within reach, and drag- 
 ging down to a horrible death brave 
 sailors, whose struggles to escape 
 were futile ; but, although the current 
 is very swift, with strong power of 
 suction, there are few instances of 
 boats being lost. 
 
 Passing the far-famed Seven Sisters, 
 we found them seven cliffs of striking 
 uniformity, side by side. After en- 
 tering the Arctic Circle we noticed in 
 certain places in the water a beauti- 
 ful, transparent, grass-green hue, said 
 to be caused by the innumerable 
 ctenophora which it contains, and 
 these frolicsome microscopic crea- 
 tures are also phosphorescent. Huge 
 glaciers, green fields, rugged moun- 
 tains, combined with the novelty of 
 
26 Land of the Viking. 
 
 sailing in the Arctic Ocean, over- 
 whelmed us, and when we had the 
 first sight of the midnight sun in all 
 its majestic splendor, we felt that the 
 acme of wonder was reached ; the 
 exquisite sunsets of the previous 
 nights were but a preparation for the 
 glories we were privileged to see 
 later. The weather was fine, and 
 one felt that each moment spent in 
 eating and sleeping was wasted ; 
 nevertheless, we continued our meals 
 with striking regularity. 
 
 At Tromso a Lapp encampment 
 was the attraction, and the diminu- 
 tive, fur-clad, wretchedly dirty people 
 seemed less like human beings than 
 animals. The tribe is a large one, 
 and well off as Lapps go ; they have 
 a fine herd of reindeer, and all seem 
 to live together. Many passengers 
 bought souvenirs from the women 
 and children, but they were too dirty 
 for me to go sufficiently near to make 
 
Into a Strange Country. 2 J 
 
 purchases. After visiting the encamp- 
 ment, we wandered about Tromso, a 
 straggling town, but of course boast- 
 ing of several fur shops. At dinner we 
 were served with reindeer tongues, 
 as a reminder of the Lapps, I sup- 
 pose, and they were most palatable. 
 At Hammerfest, the most northern 
 town in Europe, letters and cable- 
 grams were sent by all the passen- 
 gers, and a thriving business in stamps 
 was done at the post. It is a com- 
 pact, well-built little town, the inhabi- 
 tants making their living by fishing ; 
 the wharfs are lined with small sail- 
 ing-boats, and the air is strongly 
 impregnated with fish oil. We re- 
 mained on deck nearly all night, not 
 wishing to lose the glorious effect of 
 sun and clouds at twelve o'clock. 
 When the cannon was fired an en- 
 terprising Norwegian photographer 
 took a group of passengers by the 
 strong light of the sun. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 FROM THE NORTH CAPE TO CHRIS- 
 TIANS. 
 
 THE goal of our ambition was 
 reached on Friday evening ; anchor- 
 ing two hundred yards from the 
 shore, the passengers were rowed in 
 small boats to the landing-stage at 
 the foot of the North Cape. Having 
 waited until all the foreigners had 
 started, we went on shore at ten 
 o'clock and the ascent began. Ye 
 gods ! what a climb it was ; it re- 
 minded us of childhood's one step 
 forward and two steps back ; for 
 some fifty yards we had to scramble 
 over stones and rocks, there being 
 no path. When a third of the dis- 
 tance had been accomplished, we 
 came upon a strong rope fastened to 
 
 2S 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 29 
 
 iron posts, which was of great assist- 
 ance ; after that the sensation was 
 extremely like walking up the side of 
 a house, the narrow zigzag path 
 being worn perfectly smooth by a 
 multitude of tourists. 
 
 An hour's climbing brought us to 
 the summit, and then, after a walk of 
 a mile over the plateau, we reached 
 the place where the finest view was 
 to be had. Separating ourselves 
 from the crowd, we went off to a 
 lonely promontory where we could 
 quietly enjoy the wonderful experi- 
 ence. Although obscured by clouds, 
 the sun cast the most exquisite shades 
 on sea and mountains, and a peculiar 
 pink tint on a rugged cliff toward 
 the south was indescribably beauti- 
 ful. There on the summit of the 
 North Cape looking over the vast 
 expanse of the Arctic Ocean, a feel- 
 ing of profound awe filled our hearts, 
 and the solemn memory of that hour 
 
30 Land of the Viking. 
 
 will always be a cherished one. The 
 weather being mild, it was difficult 
 to realize that we were so far north, 
 and we felt a strong inclination to sail 
 farther and farther into the arctic 
 regions. The weird desolation of the 
 scene was intensified by the utter 
 absence of all animal life. Gazing 
 into the infinite space, we seemed 
 alone with Deity ; a strong realiza- 
 tion of our own insignificance forced 
 itself upon us, and our souls were 
 filled with reverence and adoration 
 for the Almighty Creator of the uni- 
 verse. The strangely powerful influ- 
 ence that nature exerts over human 
 beings was never more potent than 
 when we stood upon the North Cape. 
 Meanwhile, at the point, the for- 
 eigners were drinking, dancing, and 
 singing (?) to the accompaniment of 
 an execrable brass band which board- 
 ed the Olaf Kyrre at , Hammerfest, 
 and played at the most inopportune 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 3 1 
 
 hours. A fine granite monument in 
 memory of King Oscar's visit in 
 1873 has been erected on the Point. 
 The descent was, if possible, worse 
 than the ascent ; the sensation was 
 like skating down a toboggan slide. 
 There, on the summit and sides of 
 the North Cape, are ferns, buttercups, 
 forget-me-nots, and many varieties of 
 wild flowers growing in profusion. 
 
 After returning to the ship, most 
 of the passengers commenced fishing, 
 and over one hundred cod were 
 caught in less than an hour. Five 
 o'clock tea at two A.M. was very re- 
 freshing, most of us being too excited 
 to sleep. Walking the deck until six 
 o'clock gave opportunity for talking 
 over the wonders of the North Cape. 
 We were so glad to have taken the 
 trip, in spite of much advice to the 
 contrary, several friends having told 
 us that it was not worth the time 
 and trouble ; but to us the experi- 
 
32 Land of the Viking. 
 
 ence was of the greatest interest and 
 pleasure, and one that would bear an 
 early repetition. 
 
 One of the largest glaciers in Eu- 
 rope the Svartisen, was reached on 
 Saturday. Many passengers went 
 ashore and wandered about, looking 
 for bears, and finding bluebells. 
 The same afternoon we saw the 
 famous bird-rock, one of the sights 
 of Norway : a high rugged cliff was 
 entirely covered with row upon row 
 of small gulls ; the rock seemed to 
 be a succession of ledges, where the 
 birds were perched in strange regu- 
 larity. At the firing of one of the 
 ship's cannon, myriads flew upward, 
 completely obscuring the sky for 
 nearly a minute, then settled down 
 again on the rock, to await another 
 startling cannon. While flying up- 
 ward, the effect was very peculiar, 
 and they uttered a strange, hoarse 
 cry. 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 33 
 
 The entire distance from the North 
 Cape back to Throndhjem was a suc- 
 cession of beautiful sights ; the Lyn- 
 genfiord, where we sailed for a day, 
 is specially picturesque, and compara- 
 tively little known, on account of be- 
 ing so far north ; only tourists going to 
 the cape have the pleasure of seeing 
 it. On Saturday night we had the 
 finest view of the midnight sun, and 
 were overpowered at the transcen- 
 dent beauty of the sight. The sun 
 was a ball of fire, and the surround- 
 ing clouds ranging in color from red 
 to palest pink. Although extremely 
 cold a privileged few remained on 
 the captain's bridge until three A.M., 
 enjoying every moment of the won- 
 drous vision. Our chief conducted 
 service on Sunday, which was at- 
 tended by a majority of the passen- 
 gers, and we spent a peaceful, quiet 
 day amidst beautiful scenery. 
 
 Before leaving the ship, some reso- 
 
34 Land of the Viking. 
 
 lutions were drafted, signed by all 
 the passengers, referring in the high- 
 est terms to the ability, courtesy, 
 and thoughtfulness of Captain Getz 
 and his subordinates. After reading 
 them, our chief called for cheers, 
 which were heartily given and mod- 
 estly acknowledged by the officers. 
 I can only advise any reader who 
 contemplates taking this trip, to en- 
 deavor to secure passage by the Olaf 
 Kyrre, which for comfort and cleanli- 
 ness is a model steamer. 
 
 We reached Throndhjem on Mon- 
 day morning, and after saying good- 
 bye to our fellow passengers we went 
 to the Hotel Nordkap to rest for a 
 few hours before starting for Christi- 
 ania. It seems to me that the beauty 
 of Norway must inspire the inhabi- 
 tants to noble deeds and purity of 
 life, for who could be mean or base 
 living in a country where the scenery 
 is so grand and majestic. One cannot 
 
North Cape to Ckristiania. 35 
 
 help being selfish enough to regret 
 that every year the number of tour- 
 ists visiting Norway is increasing ; it 
 would be a thousand pities to have 
 that picturesque country desecrated 
 by the average sight-seers, as so many 
 others have been, and this feeling 
 makes one desirous of seeing it thor- 
 oughly before the aggressive tourists 
 have succeeded in robbing it of its 
 primitive charm. 
 
 We left Throndhjem for Christiania 
 in a sleeper, so called, but it was a 
 most uncomfortable railway carriage. 
 When pulled out to serve as beds the 
 springless seats were not luxurious, 
 no mattresses being furnished, and 
 only a coarse, gray blanket for bed- 
 ding. We felt little inclination to 
 sleep, but discomfort was soon for- 
 gotten in the beauty of the country, 
 and we spent the greater part of the 
 night looking out of the windows. 
 For some distance the railroad skirts 
 
36 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Lake Myosen, the largest and one of 
 the most picturesque lakes in Nor- 
 way. Meals at the Norwegian rail- 
 way-stations are strangely conducted ; 
 in the middle of the dining-room 
 stands a large table covered with hot 
 and cold dishes, plates, knives, forks, 
 condiments, and an infinite variety of 
 cheese. Each person appropriates a 
 plate, knife, and fork, places it on a 
 table prepared only with a spotlessly 
 clean cloth, turns up a chair to indi- 
 cate the place to be occupied, and 
 going to a table in the corner of the 
 room receives a cup of tea or coffee. 
 It is an easy matter to go away with- 
 out paying for one's meal, there being 
 no attendants except at the coffee- 
 table, and Norwegians expect stran- 
 gers to be as honest as themselves, 
 which is certainly saying a great 
 deal. 
 
 Christiania, the capital of Norway, 
 with a population of over one hundred 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 3 7 
 
 and twenty thousand, is beautifully- 
 situated at the north end of the 
 Christiania fiord. There seems to be 
 a great deal of wealth in the city, 
 many of the houses being large and 
 luxurious. We found the well ap- 
 pointed Victoria Hotel comfortable 
 in every respect ; the elaborate table 
 d'hote dinner was served at three 
 o'clock in a gayly decorated tent 
 erected in the court, where tables 
 and chairs were scattered about for 
 smoking and drinking coffee after 
 the meal. Parliament buildings, uni- 
 versity, museum of art, and palace 
 are well-built, imposing structures, 
 the latter being surrounded by beau- 
 tiful gardens open to the public. 
 
 Driving about the city was very 
 enjoyable, the pavements being ex- 
 cellent, the streets wide and clean. 
 From St. John's Hill the view of a 
 picturesque country is fine. A short 
 distance from the city stands the 
 
38 Land of the Viking. 
 
 chateau of Oscarshall, built on a cliff 
 overlooking the fiord ; its situation is 
 beautiful. Being merely used as an 
 occasional resort on summer after- 
 noons by the royal family, we had 
 no difficulty in seeing the whole 
 villa, which contains much of inter- 
 est. The state dining-room, a charm- 
 ing apartment, is filled with pictures 
 by eminent native artists ; ten by 
 Tidemand represent different phases 
 of Norwegian peasant life. Rooms 
 on the second-floor contain numerous 
 gifts to King Oscar from different 
 monarchs; also some of his majesty's 
 uniforms and the gorgeously ugly 
 coronation robes of the present queen 
 and her predecessor. There is a 
 charming view of the city fiord and 
 environs from the top of the tower. 
 
 In a shed behind the university 
 stands the old Viking ship discovered 
 in a mound some eight years since. 
 Similar in shape to the Norwegian 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 39 
 
 fishing-boat of the present time, it is 
 built of oak, now jet black, is in a 
 good state of preservation, and it is 
 wellnigh impossible to believe that 
 its age is nearly one thousand years. 
 One peculiarity is the rudder at the 
 side ; the bolts used in its construc- 
 tion are like those used in these days. 
 The bones of the Viking, with those 
 of his favorite dogs and horses, were 
 found in the sepulchral chamber in 
 the middle of the ship, together with 
 many ornaments and cooking uten- 
 sils, all buried together in the ninth 
 century, presumably. That wonder- 
 ful craft ! Standing beside it gave 
 one a strange sensation : how old it 
 was ; what changes had been wrought 
 in the world's history during the cen- 
 turies it lay buried. The remains of 
 the Viking proved him to have been 
 a large, muscular, fair man ; what 
 could have been his life ? he was 
 without doubt brave and daring ; 
 
40 Land of the Viking. 
 
 perchance the Norse prince, Leif, was 
 of his family, — that prince who is said 
 to have reached Mt. Hope Bay, 
 Massachusetts, hundreds of years 
 before Columbus sailed westward. 
 Had he dear ones who mourned his 
 death ; or did he sever all his ties of 
 blood and affection when he joined 
 the rovers of the seas. Is it possible 
 that the Vikings were human like 
 ourselves ? To us they seem mystical 
 and unreal, but of great interest. It 
 was late in the day when we went to 
 see the old ship, and in the dim light 
 it almost seemed like some relic of 
 another world, so weird and uncanny 
 it looked, and every-day life with 
 eating and drinking was far from 
 our thoughts. 
 
 Reflecting upon the pleasant days 
 spent in Norway, I begin to realize 
 what a pleasure and privilege it was 
 to see a little of that picturesque 
 and restful country, where life pre- 
 sents so striking a contrast to the 
 
North Cape to Christiania. 41 
 
 hurry and bustle of America. Can a 
 greater difference be imagined than 
 that between the slow, easy, trustful 
 existence of the average Norseman, 
 and the rapid, unrestful struggle of 
 the people on this side of the Atlan- 
 tic? A summer spent in Norway is 
 a great boon to a busy man burdened 
 with cares and responsibilities, for it is 
 impossible to help resting mentally 
 and physically, as in the very air of 
 the country there is a sense of peace 
 and repose. The people have always 
 a warm welome for strangers ; their 
 lives are simple and wholesome, and 
 their love of country very strong. A 
 short and hurried trip, as ours neces- 
 sarily was, made us desirous of re- 
 turning soon, and driving through the 
 country, taking it slowly, and see- 
 ing much of peasant life. It is an 
 excellent country to economize in ; 
 hotel charges are moderate ; driving 
 inexpensive ; and a small tip thank- 
 fully received. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 STOCKHOLM EN FETE — OVER THE 
 BALTIC. 
 
 A SECOND night in a Norwegian 
 sleeper, an improvement upon the 
 first, brought us to Stockholm, the 
 Swedish capital. Built upon Lake 
 Malaren, the situation of the city, 
 surrounded by islands and water in 
 every direction, is exceeding pictu- 
 resque ; and Stockholm is justly called 
 "the Venice of the North. " On 
 approaching we found that the city 
 was en fite: flags, arches, decora- 
 tions everywhere, in honor of the 
 Kaiser's visit, who, with his suite, 
 was spending two days at the Swed- 
 ish capital en route from St. Peters- 
 burg to Denmark. 
 
 The large and elegantly appointed 
 Grand Hotel has a fine situation, 
 
Stockholm enfUe. 43 
 
 commanding a view of the busy har- 
 bor, and is quite near the National 
 Museum, where the royal family was 
 paying a visit when we arrived from 
 the railway station. The head-waiter 
 gave us a window in the salon, where 
 we had an excellent view of the 
 street, crowded with expectant peo- 
 ple watching for the royal party re- 
 turning to the Schloss. We con- 
 sidered ourselves fortunate in receiv- 
 ing a special salute from King Oscar 
 II. and the Kaiser, as they drove 
 past, followed by many notable per- 
 sons, among them Prince Heinrich of 
 Prussia, Count Herbert Bismarck, 
 and a large retinue of German and 
 Swedish officers. The good-looking 
 young Emperor had a very bored ex- 
 pression, not a muscle of his face re- 
 laxing at the enthusiastic cheers of 
 the people. King Oscar is a remark- 
 ably handsome and genial-looking 
 man, and every inch a king. As the 
 
44 Land of the Viking. 
 
 royal people were driving about the 
 city most of the day, we saw them 
 several times. At noon there was a 
 great booming of cannon, and flags 
 were run up in every possible place 
 on the German yachts to celebrate 
 the birth of a son to the Empress at 
 Potsdam. 
 
 The squadron commanded by 
 Prince Heinrich, brother of the Kai- 
 ser, was anchored in the harbor some 
 two miles from the city, and the ten 
 gayly decorated ships presented a 
 fine appearance. From the roof of 
 the hotel we watched the departure 
 of the royal visitor and his suite 
 after saying adieu to King Oscar on 
 the elaborate landing-stage. One by 
 one they stepped into small boats, 
 each manned by twelve seamen in 
 the uniform of the royal middies, 
 and were rowed to the yachts amid 
 the booming of cannon, cheers of the 
 people, and bands playing. 
 
Stockholm en fete. 45 
 
 Stockholm has great natural ad- 
 vantages ; being intersected by canals, 
 it is customary to pass from one part 
 of the city to another by means of 
 the innumerable small steam launch- 
 es plying in every direction. Swedish 
 girls, in picturesque national cos- 
 tumes, row about in well appointed 
 skiffs, their charges for passengers 
 being merely nominal. The people 
 of Stockholm live much out-of-doors ; 
 numerous restaurants and gardens 
 being filled with pleasure-seekers, 
 drinking beer or coffee, and listening 
 to excellent music, which can always 
 be heard in the evenings. The 
 Swedes impressed us as being an 
 intelligent, patriotic, prosperous, and 
 contented people, and they are by 
 far the best class of immigrants com- 
 ing to America, being thrifty and 
 conscientious. 
 
 The royal family is one of the most 
 popular and beloved in Europe ; the 
 
46 Land of the Viking. 
 
 king and queen are very democratic, 
 driving about and receiving visitors 
 in an unostentatious way. Their 
 second son, Prince Oscar, recently 
 married Miss Munck, a beautiful 
 woman in attendance upon the 
 queen, and by so doing relinquished 
 his claim to the throne ; the third 
 son, Prince Carl, one of the hand- 
 somest men in Europe, is in the 
 army. 
 
 Most of the buildings in Stock- 
 holm are large and imposing ; the 
 National Museum, a building in the 
 Renaissance style, is filled with in- 
 teresting collections of pictures, 
 statuary, coins, ecclesiastical furni- 
 ture, and Egyptian articles. The 
 colossal marble statues, in the vesti- 
 bule, of Odin, Thor, and Baldur, 
 the Scandinavian divinities, were 
 suggestive of the fascinating my- 
 thology of school-days. The large 
 collection of antiquities consists of 
 
Stockholm enftte. 47 
 
 articles for domestic use, ornaments 
 and implements of all kinds belong- 
 ing to the flint, bronze, and iron 
 periods, many having been discov- 
 ered in ancient tombs, where they 
 had so long lain buried. The gem 
 of the sculpture is a parian sleeping 
 " Endymion " excavated in the last 
 century at Hadrian's Villa Tivoli. 
 The perfect repose of the exquisite 
 figure fills one with a sense of rest, 
 and in its naturalness it almost 
 seems to breathe. Among the hun- 
 dreds of pictures are many of great 
 merit, and nearly all the old masters 
 are well represented ; Rembrandt's 
 " Oath of Ziska " is very fine, and, 
 although unfinished, is one of his 
 greatest works. On the lawn on the 
 northwest side of the museum stands 
 the " Girdle Duellists/' a fine bronze 
 group by Mulin, which interested me 
 very much, not only for its intrinsic 
 worth as a w r ork of art, but also on 
 
48 Land of the Viking. 
 
 account of the strange custom it 
 represents. In the olden days the 
 Scandinavians were bound together 
 by belts, and so fought out their 
 duels with murderous-looking knives. 
 The people being very hot-headed, 
 quarrels were easily provoked, and it 
 is said that women used to carry 
 winding sheets for their husbands to 
 banquets where differences were like- 
 ly to arise, as the contest always 
 ended fatally to one or both duellists, 
 and under such circumstances the 
 feast could not have been altogether 
 enjoyable to the wives. 
 
 In the Northern Museum is a large 
 and interesting Scandinavia collec- 
 tion ; the women attendants are 
 dressed in the picturesque Darlecar- 
 lia costumes, and there one can form 
 a fairly accurate idea of Swedish life 
 from groups of wax figures, with ap- 
 propriate surroundings, representing 
 different scenes in peasant homes. 
 
Stockholm enfUe. 49 
 
 The large square palace standing on 
 a rocky elevation, commands a fine 
 view of the canals and harbor. Of 
 course, like all other palaces, it con- 
 tains much of interest ; and the state 
 apartments are fine, of which the 
 large banqueting-room, the " Hvita 
 Hafvet," or the White Sea, finished 
 in white stucco, and furnished appro- 
 priately, is the most imposing. The 
 private apartments of the royal fami- 
 ly were shown, and the greatest lib- 
 erty was accorded us ; sitting by the 
 king's writing-table, and in his Ma- 
 jesty's chair, we had quite a feeling of 
 " being to the manner born," as it 
 were. The suite occupied by the 
 Kaiser during his visit had evidently 
 been newly furnished for the occa- 
 sion, much of the hangings and fur- 
 niture coverings being a brilliant 
 green ; we thought the effect on the 
 imperial complexion must have been 
 somewhat trying. Counected with 
 
5<D Land of the Viking. 
 
 King Oscar's smoking-room is a 
 small glass apartment used as a win- 
 ter parlor, having a profusion of 
 vines growing on the walls and being 
 furnished with excellent taste ; it is 
 a cheerful and home-like nook, and 
 we were told by the lackey that it 
 was a favorite sitting-room of the 
 royal family. 
 
 Scattered about the palace are 
 many beautiful ornaments presented 
 to King Oscar by different monarchs, 
 and also by his loyal subjects ; and a 
 profusion of embroidery and painted 
 work, done by the skilful members 
 of the Bernadotte family. All the 
 Swedes we had the pleasure of meet- 
 ing spoke in terms of the highest re. 
 gard of the King and Queen and 
 their children ; they do much good 
 among the poor, and take a deep in- 
 terest in the welfare of their subjects. 
 Among the numerous churches, the 
 " Riddarholms Kyrka " is the most 
 
Stockholm enftte. 5 1 
 
 interesting ; for centuries it has been 
 the burial-place of Sweden's kings 
 and most celebrated men ; for many- 
 years no services have been held in 
 it, except on the occasion of royal 
 funerals. 
 
 After a fatiguing day of sight-see- 
 ing we enjoyed a drive in the " Djur- 
 garden," a beautiful park laid out on 
 an island a short distance from the 
 city, and of which the people of 
 Stockholm are justly proud. " Ros- 
 endal," a large villa built by Charles 
 XIV. John, with extensive hot-houses 
 and orangeries, is well situated near 
 the water. Not far distant is a statue 
 to the memory of the great poet and 
 improvisatore, Karl Michael Bellman, 
 some of whose most charming ballads 
 were composed under the shade of an 
 adjacent oak ; many of his best poems 
 were made extempore, and with per- 
 fect ease. Stockholm's finest restau- 
 rant is in the " Djur-garden," and the 
 
52 Land of the Viking. 
 
 " Hasselbacken " is famous for its fine 
 situation, excellent cuisine, and mag- 
 nificent orchestra, and in fine weather 
 is always well patronized. 
 
 The pleasure of our visit to Stock- 
 holm was greatly enhanced by the 
 kindness of some charming Swedish 
 friends of our chief, to whose thought- 
 ful attention the greater part of our 
 enjoyment was due. We accom- 
 panied them to the summer palace 
 of Drottningholm, situated on the 
 most beautiful of Lake Malaren's 
 numerous islands, about seven miles 
 from the city, and during the charm- 
 ing sail thither we passed many sum- 
 mer residences of wealthy city people. 
 The famous architect, Nicodemus 
 Tessin, designed the beautiful palace, 
 which is sumptuously fitted up and 
 perfect in all its details ; it contains a 
 large number of pictures and other 
 works of art, and the home-like pri- 
 vate rooms were most attractive. The 
 
Stockholm enftte. 53 
 
 extensive grounds are laid out in imi- 
 tation of those at Versailles, and the 
 fine fountains play frequently in sum- 
 mer. A Chinese pagoda is a curious 
 little building, and the details well 
 carried out. 
 
 A few days previously a large lunch- 
 eon party had been given in honor of 
 the Kaiser in the great banqueting- 
 room, and before leaving the palace 
 his Majesty had written his name in 
 the visitors' book (and written it well, 
 too) ; and, of course, we had the 
 honor of sitting at the same table 
 and in the same chair while inscribing 
 our names in the precious volume. 
 Drottningholm is the favorite resi- 
 dence of the royal family, and we 
 could easily understand the charm 
 this beautiful and tranquil place has 
 for the privileged few residing there. 
 A dinner-party drive to " Hassel- 
 backen," where we greatly enjoyed 
 the fine music, and a moonlight sail 
 
54 Land of the Viking. 
 
 back to the hotel made our last day 
 in Stockholm very enjoyable. The 
 great kindness shown us by our 
 Swedish friends was almost over- 
 powering, and after making our visit 
 delightful in every way, they started 
 us off for St. Petersburg with the 
 kindest of adieus, and laden with 
 flowers and bon-bons. 
 
 Well-built, w T ell-paved, and scrupu- 
 lously clean, Stockholm impressed 
 us as being a model city, and we 
 wished that on this side of the Atlan- 
 tic the civic authorities would strive 
 for the degree of perfection the " Ven- 
 ice of the North " seems to have at- 
 tained. The numerous lines of street 
 railways are well managed ; the civil 
 conductors and drivers wearing neat 
 and appropriate uniforms ; the large, 
 comfortable cars are very clean ; and 
 the drivers have the rare faculty of 
 stopping the horses so that the rear 
 platform is on the crossing. 
 
Over the Baltic. 55 
 
 I was much impressed while in 
 Norway and Sweden with the strik- 
 ing contrast between these Protestant 
 countries and those where Catholi- 
 cism holds sway; there is no abject 
 poverty, and one is never importuned 
 by beggars, as in Italy, for example ; 
 the people work in a contented way, 
 do the best they can, and enjoy the 
 results of their labor in a rational 
 manner. 
 
 Across the Baltic we started for 
 St. Petersburg, expectant and full 
 of excitement. It seemed strange 
 that we were really to go to Russia, 
 that remarkable country, which has 
 so much prominence in modern 
 thought, writing, and discussions. 
 Our ideas were chaotic, and we felt 
 that in going there we took our 
 lives in our hands, but continued to 
 go as fast as the good steamer would 
 take us. 
 
 Finland ! The name suggests a 
 
56 Land of the Viking. 
 
 barren, uncivilized country, peopled 
 by creatures after the order of Lapps. 
 Our preconceived ideas were wrong, 
 and on reaching Helsingfors, the 
 capital of the Grand Duchy of Fin- 
 land, we found it a large, well built, 
 imposing city, with a population of 
 50,000, having a university, mu- 
 seum, palace, fine theatre, numerous 
 churches, and a large park. The 
 new hotel on the esplanade proved 
 even better than the Grand in Stock- 
 holm, and there we enjoyed our 
 first Russian meal before continuing 
 our journey to St. Petersburg. In 
 the evening the park was filled with 
 Finns, walking about, drinking vodki, 
 and listening to an excellent orches- 
 tra, apparently enjoying civilization, 
 and conducting themselves very much 
 like any other people. 
 
 Passing Cronstadt we found the 
 extensive fortifications of great 
 strength ; from there we sailed up 
 
Over the Baltic. 5 7 
 
 the narrow canal, by which all large 
 steamers are obliged to reach St. 
 Petersburg, and which is one of the 
 most remarkable works of the kind 
 in Europe. 
 
 Forty hours after leaving Stock- 
 holm, the first glimpse of the Russian 
 capital thrilled us all. There, glit- 
 tering in the sunlight, rose the gilded 
 dome of St. Isaac's, and, drawing 
 nearer and nearer to that wonderful 
 city our excitement increased, and 
 we could not realize that at last we 
 were approaching St. Petersburg. 
 It seemed like a dream, but on reach- 
 ing the wharf and seeing mighty 
 officials armed with authority to 
 examine all our belongings, and even 
 to prevent us from landing, if they 
 thought fit, we found that we were to 
 deal with stern realities. Looking 
 down from the deck of the steamer 
 we saw a heterogeneous collection of 
 men ; custom-house officials in gor- 
 
58 Land of the Viking. 
 
 geous green and gold uniforms, look- 
 ing as if they could be very unpleas- 
 ant on slight provocation ; moujiks 
 waiting to carry luggage to the bus- 
 ses and other vehicles in the street ; 
 commissionaires looking for employ- 
 ment ; all talking in a language sound- 
 ing like a cross between Choctaw and 
 Chinese. 
 
 The passport and custom-house 
 formalities were soon over, and going 
 through to the street we were met 
 by Pilly, the valet de place engaged 
 by us previously. According to the 
 description given of him by our chief, 
 he is the greatest mixture of humility 
 and egotism, knowledge and igno- 
 rance, in Europe. He proved him- 
 self perfectly invaluable, and Murray's 
 guide-book justly recommends him 
 as the best courier in the country. 
 It is the height of folly to attempt 
 travelling in Russia without an ex- 
 perienced guide ; in the matter of 
 
Over the Baltic. 59 
 
 hiring a cab, for example, it is neces- 
 sary to make a bargain ; there being 
 no regular tariff, the drosky driver 
 always asks a stranger at least five 
 times more than he expects to re- 
 ceive, and bargaining in English with 
 a Russian is a very hopeless matter 
 for the traveller. 
 
 How strange every thing looked 
 to us during the long drive from the 
 wharf to the hotel. Most of the 
 streets seemed deserted, for the city 
 is so vast that the population of nine 
 hundred thousand is not sufficient to 
 fill it, and, except on the Nevski 
 Prospect, there are comparatively 
 few people. Few women are seen 
 walking in public, — in that as in 
 many other respects Russia retains 
 a trace of Orientalism. We passed 
 queer little shops with painted signs 
 on each side of the entrance repre- 
 senting the wares sold inside ; butch- 
 ers, with legs of mutton and impossi- 
 
60 Land of the Viking. 
 
 ble-looking poultry ; bakeries, with 
 gigantic rolls and loaves too highly- 
 colored to tempt one's appetite ; 
 boot shops whose strangely shaped 
 gear could not by any stretch of 
 imagination be supposed to fit the 
 human foot; mammoth peaches, 
 oranges, and grapes at the fruiterers, 
 and grotesque costumes of by-gone 
 days at the dry-goods shops ; it did 
 not seem possible that we were in 
 Europe, for the gay colors, innumer- 
 able domes and minarets, and strange 
 dress of the people make St. Peters- 
 burg very Oriental in appearance. 
 
 Arriving at the Grand Hotel d'Eu- 
 rope on the Nevski Prospect, we 
 found a huge building of red stucco; 
 a group of moujiks stood on the side- 
 walk, waiting to help us alight from 
 the omnibus, clothed in long red 
 shirts with crash aprons, trousers 
 tucked into high boots ; with their 
 dark heavy faces framed in masses 
 
Over the Baltic. 61 
 
 of long straight hair they looked 
 very strange. Before our rooms were 
 assigned our passports were given up 
 and sent to the police to be regis- 
 tered and vised, so we were under 
 surveillance every moment while in 
 St. Petersburg, as in Moscow and 
 Warsaw. The hotel proved very 
 luxurious ; our comfortable rooms 
 on the second floor were moderate 
 in price ; the charge for a large salon 
 with two bedrooms adjoining was 
 only six roubles, or three dollars, per 
 day for the Signorina and the Ma- 
 dame ; every thing included, our daily 
 hotel bill did not average more than 
 $4.50 each, which seemed reasonable. 
 The main dining-room, in white 
 and gold with marble floor, is a beau- 
 tiful apartment ; during table-d 'hote 
 the English waiter appointed to look 
 after American travellers gave his 
 advice as to our choice of dishes. 
 First comes the " Zakouska," a cold 
 
62 Land of the Viking. 
 
 meal of every kind of hors d'ceuvres, 
 accompanied by vodki, the Russian 
 whiskey. One's appetite for dinner 
 is supposed to be heightened by par- 
 taking liberally of caviare, raw her- 
 ring, anchovies, sardines, salads, and 
 various other relishes. Fortunately, 
 although the government is the most 
 despotic in the world, travellers are 
 allowed to use their own discretion 
 as to the amount of food they re- 
 quire. For dinner there are always 
 two soups, one Russian and one civil- 
 ized ; the former, tasting like a com- 
 bination of equal quantities of sour 
 cream and cabbage, is perfectly cold. 
 The fruit was remarkably good, and 
 the native wines, made in the Crimea, 
 light and palatable. It was a usual 
 thing to see pretty women joining 
 the men at table in an after-dinner 
 smoke ; they use a special brand of 
 cigarettes and apparently enjoy it as 
 much as the stronger sex. 
 
Over the Baltic. 63 
 
 In the well appointed reading-room 
 we found, in addition to Russian 
 journals, London and New York pa- 
 pers, in nearly all of which some 
 paragraphs were undecipherable, hav- 
 ing been blackened by order of the 
 censor of the press. All newspapers, 
 books, and pamphlets are carefully 
 perused by this powerful official or 
 his subordinates before being deliv- 
 ered to those to whom they are 
 directed, and any article casting 
 reflections upon the government or 
 royal family is promptly obliterated 
 by a roller of black ink being passed 
 over it, and through the black den- 
 sity not a word can be read. In spite 
 of the injustice of this strict law, I 
 could not help wishing that in some 
 way a quietus could be put upon the 
 license of the press on this side of 
 the Atlantic, for there seems to be 
 no limit to the liberty tolerated in 
 the journals of the present day. 
 
64 Land of the Viking. 
 
 After dinner Pilly came to us say- 
 ing : " Ladies, and gentlemen, and 
 Miss, there is a special service in St. 
 Isaac's this evening, would you not 
 like to hear the music ?" It required 
 very little time to prepare for what 
 proved to be a great pleasure, and we 
 were soon driving rapidly down the 
 Nevski Prospect in a landau drawn 
 by a span of powerful black horses, 
 our coachman urging them on with 
 kindly words, terms of endearment, 
 and vigorously cracking his long whip 
 in the air, which, however, never 
 touched the horses. The Russians 
 rarely ill-treat their animals, but 
 talk to them as if they were imbued 
 with human intellect : " Go on, little 
 brother " ; " Be quick, my little 
 friend " ; " Hurry up, my father," 
 etc., etc. The strange dress of the 
 coachman is the same, whether em- 
 ployed by the nobility or driving the 
 commonest drosky ; of course there 
 
Over the Baltic. 65 
 
 are degrees of cleanliness and orna- 
 mentation, but they all wear long 
 Coats reaching to the ground, but- 
 toned diagonally, tied at the waist 
 with an embroidered girdle ; this, 
 with an abbreviated bell-crowned 
 beaver hat surmounting a shock of 
 matted hair, gives them a grotesque 
 appearance* 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE GREAT CATHEDRAL — ITS MUSIC, 
 
 WORSHIPPERS, IKONS, AND STRANGE 
 
 CEREMONIALS. 
 
 t- St. Isaac's ! What recollections 
 are awakened by the name of the 
 mightiest cathedral of northern Eu- 
 rope ! That vast edifice, filled with 
 the choicest products of this world's 
 mines, how it loomed before us, 
 and as we approached we were filled 
 with a sense of our inability to appre- 
 ciate its vast proportions and superb 
 architecture at a single visit. Built 
 in the form of the Greek cross, with 
 an imposing entrance on each of the 
 four sides, it is approached from the 
 level of the street by broad flights of 
 steps of polished Finnish granite, 
 each flight cut from a single block, 
 66 
 
The Great Cathedral. 67 
 
 which required enormous expendi- 
 ture of money and labor. At each of 
 the entrances are twenty-eight pillars 
 supporting the portico, monoliths 
 of the same rare granite, perfectly 
 round and smooth. Scores of statues 
 and bas-reliefs are of bronze, and the 
 magnificently carved doors are of the 
 same metal. One is perfectly over- 
 whelmed at the magnificence of the 
 exterior, and although service had 
 commenced we lingered outside, loth 
 to enter until we had examined some 
 few of the details. 
 
 " Come," said Pilly, " or you '11 be 
 pretty sorry if you miss the music, 
 besides its much gorgeouser inside " ; 
 and truly he was right. In we went, 
 past the rows of begging nuns who 
 are always to be found at the church 
 doors, being sent out from the con- 
 vents to raise a certain sum of 
 money ; when this is accomplished 
 they return to their several convents 
 
68 Land of the Viking. 
 
 and are cared for during the remain- 
 der of their lives ; but they were so 
 dirty and repulsive, that we felt that 
 if the sum required were a large one 
 they might stand for years before 
 collecting it. 
 
 Just within the doors we stopped 
 spell-bound ; service was going on 
 and we, with the exception of the 
 Signorina, heard for the first time 
 the wonderful music of the Russo- 
 Greek Church. No instruments be- 
 ing allowed, and the choir being com- 
 posed of boys and men, their ages 
 ranging from perhaps eight to forty 
 years, the harmonies are sublime, 
 and although there is great repeti- 
 tion in the chanting, it never be- 
 comes wearisome ; the " Guspodi 
 Guspodi," or " Lord have mercy 
 upon us," seemed to thrill our souls. 
 The deep voices of the older men 
 sounded like a mighty organ, and the 
 responses by the youthful choir made 
 
The Great Cathedral. 69 
 
 us feel that we were listening to the 
 harmonies of heaven. Standing some- 
 what apart from the throng of devout 
 worshippers, some of us, indeed, I 
 think all, were completely over- 
 come by the matchless sublimity of 
 the music ; the effect was somewhat 
 exhausting — it raised one to the high- 
 est pitch of enjoyable excitement. 
 
 " Come," said the Matron at the 
 conclusion of the service, " let us go 
 and rest for we cannot endure more, 
 even though it should be enjoyment/* 
 But, instead, we wandered about the 
 vast cathedral, loth to leave until we 
 had seen a few of the marvellous 
 decorations. The quantities of por- 
 phyry, marble, jaspar rhodonite, 
 malachite, and lapis-lazuli in floors, 
 walls, and pillars bewildered us. 
 The gold doors of the Ikonastas at 
 the back of the altar, shutting off 
 the inner sanctuary, where women 
 are never admitted, are covered 
 
jo Land of the Viking. 
 
 with paintings and mosaics of great 
 value. 
 
 At the Centennial Exhibition I 
 well remember being fascinated with 
 the Russian exhibit, and bought for 
 quite a sum a four-by-six inch slab of 
 malachite ; the man in charge casually 
 remarked : " That is like the pillars 
 in St. Isaac's, Miss. ,, To my mind 
 the pillars might have been a foot or 
 two high, and then I thought how 
 fine they must look, but on seeing 
 four at either side of the altar some 
 thirty feet high and the same number 
 of lapis-lazuli, I felt that without vis- 
 iting Russia one can have no realiza- 
 tion of the accumulated treasure of 
 the country. In England a friend 
 said to one of the party, " Did you 
 see any of this in Russia? M showing 
 a scarf pin set with a piece of lapis- 
 lazuli the size of a pea, perfect in 
 color and highly valued by the 
 owner. " Yes,'' was the crushing 
 
The Great Cathedral. 71 
 
 reply, " in one room at the summer 
 palace of Tsarskoe Selo there are a 
 dozen tables and a score of other 
 articles made from the same precious 
 stone." Not that it is inexpensive 
 even in Russia, but the lavish expen- 
 diture of the Tsars from the time of 
 Peter the Great has secured a wealth 
 of rarest treasures. The railing about 
 the chancel is of solid silver. The 
 Ikons interested us very much, the 
 first we had ever seen. They are sa- 
 cred pictures worshipped by the peo- 
 ple, — representations of Christ, the 
 Madonna and Child, and of various 
 saints, the especial favorite being St. 
 Alexander Nevski, whose memory is 
 held in great reverence by the Rus- 
 sians. The Ikons are usually about 
 two feet square, covered with glass 
 and framed elaborately ; most of 
 them are placed on inclined sup- 
 ports, and have exquisite lamps of 
 gold, silver, or enamel hanging be- 
 
72 Land of the Viking. 
 
 fore them always lighted. With the 
 exception of hands, face, and feet all 
 the painting is covered with orna- 
 mental gold and silver plates. On 
 many Ikons diamonds, sapphires, and 
 other precious stones are set in the 
 greatest profusion in the crowns, 
 around the throats, and about the 
 hands, making the effect dazzling 
 and the value enormous ; others have 
 imitation stones of great brilliancy. 
 
 The first act of a Russian upon 
 entering a church is to purchase a 
 small candle which has previously 
 been blessed. This he lights and 
 places in one of the numerous small 
 holders on the top of a massive silver 
 or rare enamel candlestick, one of 
 which stands in front of each Ikon. 
 A large gayly decorated candle burns 
 in the centre, surrounded by holders 
 for one or two dozen smaller ones, 
 which are nearly always filled by 
 devotees. Then the worshipper goes 
 
The Great Cathedral. 73 
 
 to the framed picture, kisses the glass 
 covering it, crosses himself, and con- 
 tinues his devotions. This continual 
 kissing of Ikons is a fruitful source 
 of diseases of the mouth among Rus- 
 sians, for the glasses being seldom 
 cleaned a kind of thin crust is 
 formed, which of course transmits 
 any impurities of the skin. The sale 
 of candles is a source of considerable 
 revenue, a stall filled with all sizes 
 being kept inside the door of each 
 church. If a worshipper is very de- 
 vout he will purchase a fine candle 
 for twenty or thirty kopecks, but if 
 very poor and not so religious he can 
 do his duty for a tenth of the sum. 
 After burning to a certain length the 
 candles are removed by one of the 
 numerous uniformed servants of the 
 church ; they are then melted down, 
 made into new ones and sold over 
 again. Is not this a very thrifty 
 custom ? 
 
74 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Intent upon their worship, the 
 Russians pay no heed to sight-seers. 
 They are superstitious to an incredi- 
 ble degree and in small matters carry 
 it to an absurd extent. For exam- 
 ple, when a man yawns, he crosses 
 himself to prevent the devil from 
 jumping down his throat. During 
 service they have no especial time 
 for crossing themselves, but when- 
 ever the inclination seizes them they 
 cross with the thumb first and mid- 
 dle finger, signifying the Trinity ; 
 this is repeated three times, then 
 prostrating themselves they touch 
 the floor with their heads the same 
 number of times and murmur in Rus- 
 sian : " God have mercy upon us." 
 
 The service of the Russo-Greek 
 Church is by far the most imposing 
 of any I have ever seen. During the 
 prayer for the Tsar, when the doors 
 of the Ikonastas are closed, the deep 
 chanting of the choir, with the glori- 
 
The Great Cathedral. 75 
 
 ous voice of the officiating deacon 
 intoning the prayer, impresses one 
 with the solemnity of the occasion 
 and the devotion of the people. No 
 seats being allowed, strangers can 
 wander about at will and seem to 
 cause no commotion. To St. Isaac's 
 we returned several times. The mu- 
 sic and entire service on Sunday 
 morning were very impressive, and 
 we were content to stand until its 
 close, although over two hours long. 
 It is always better to stand where 
 one cannot see the singers, as their 
 appearance is unprepossessing ; their 
 long surplices reach the floor and 
 are tied in at the waist ; their heavy 
 faces and unkempt hair detract from 
 the feeling of devotion the music in- 
 spires. With one exception, the choir 
 of St. Isaac's is the finest in Russia, 
 its superior being the private choir of 
 the Tsar which we could not hear. 
 The squalor, poverty, and filth of a 
 
J 6 Land of the Viking. 
 
 majority of the worshippers present- 
 ed a terrible contrast to the magnifi- 
 cence of the churches, of which it is 
 hopeless to attempt to give the 
 slightest conception. St. Isaac's is 
 worth over fifteen millions of dollars. 
 I was the only one of our party to 
 ascend the great dome, and truly it 
 was a hard climb. A half hour's 
 steady walking up winding stairs 
 and, finally, narrow iron ladders, 
 brought me to the very top, but 
 it was worth far more trouble and 
 fatigue to see the wonderful view of 
 the vast city from that height. The 
 area covered by St. Petersburg seems 
 to be illimitable ; the buildings are 
 close together, very large, but not 
 high. Some writer speaks of three 
 palaces side by side, so huge that to 
 pass them requires a walk of half an 
 hour, certainly every thing in Russia 
 is on the same gigantic scale. From 
 St. Isaac's dome one is able to realize 
 
The Great Cathedral. yj 
 
 more fully the daring of Peter in 
 building his capital on that particu- 
 lar locality. It seemed to me that 
 the quaking morass on which the 
 city stands might some day swallow 
 it all up. Scattered here and there 
 are tall towers, where continual watch 
 is kept for fire and the rising of the 
 Neva. The story of the building is 
 so well known that it is needless to 
 enter into details, but the perishing 
 of one hundred thousand workmen 
 from the cold, wet, and poisonous 
 marsh gas is a sad side to its history. 
 Peter's expressed desire to have his 
 city " a window looking out into 
 Europe " was fully realized. 
 
 After the first evening spent in this 
 wonderful cathedral, wearied with the 
 impressive service and satiated with 
 magnificence, we drove for nearly the 
 entire length of the Nevski Prospect, 
 the longest and finest street in St. 
 Petersburg, and then to the railway 
 
J 8 Land of the Viking. 
 
 station to say adieu to our Squire, who 
 left for America via Moscow and Bre- 
 men. It was a sad moment when the 
 first break was made in our party, and 
 with genuine regret we said good-by 
 to one who had proved himself an 
 excellent companion, and whose un- 
 tiring kindness added much to the 
 pleasure of our trip. 
 
 " What shrine is that, Pilly ? " asked 
 the Matron, as we passed a small open 
 temple returning from the station. 
 "Law,ma'am," said Pilly, "that 's 
 no shrine, it 's only a little pray-God 
 place." All over the city are these 
 " little pray-God places " where the 
 devout people enter, cross them- 
 selves, drink some holy water, leave 
 an offering of a few kopecks, and go 
 on their way. The numerous shrines 
 have been erected to saints, or in re- 
 membrance of some holy deed, or as 
 thank-offerings. Some twenty years 
 since a man shot at the late Emperor 
 as he passed through the gate of the 
 
The Great Cathedral. 79 
 
 summer garden. On that spot has 
 been erected one of St. Petersburg's 
 most elaborate shrines, as a token 
 of gratitude that his Majesty's life 
 was spared. A fine cathedral is now 
 being erected where the dynamite ex- 
 plosion occurred which so cruelly end- 
 ed the life of the " Tsar Liberator/' 
 as he is called. 
 
 At many churches unleavened bread 
 in small loaves was offered for sale. 
 It was strange to see people drink- 
 ing holy water, instead of merely 
 using it for crossing; the cups are 
 rarely cleansed, and it cannot be a 
 healthful practice to drink the water 
 where so many grimy hands have 
 been dipped, but the superstitious 
 people probably think drinking the 
 blessed water is more efficacious than 
 a slight outward application. But, oh ! 
 they are so filthy ! Is it not said that 
 the Russian moujik, clad in sheep- 
 skin, is thoroughly bathed but three 
 times, at birth, marriage, and death? 
 
80 Land of the Viking. 
 
 In passing shrines and cathedrals 
 the men remove their hats and cross 
 themselves devoutly, and during our 
 first drives it was quite startling to 
 see our coachman suddenly remove 
 his head-gear, fling back his shock of 
 hair, and cross himself, while the 
 horses went on their own way, evi- 
 dently accustomed to the devotion 
 of their drivers. In most of the 
 shops Ikons are placed in a conspic- 
 uous position, with lighted lamps 
 hanging before them. Strangers are 
 expected to pay some reverence ; 
 while standing before them a man 
 must remove his hat or meet with a 
 reproof, for outwardly the Russians 
 are undeniably devout. In every 
 cathedral is a shrine containing the 
 emblematical tomb of our Lord ; 
 this consists of a large silver or gold 
 ornamented casket with a glass top, 
 painted on the under-side with a 
 life-size figure of Christ. They are, 
 of course, considered verv holv. and 
 
The Great Cathedral. 81 
 
 on Easter and Christmas eve the top 
 with the painted figure is carried 
 into the centre of the church and 
 there worshipped and kissed by 
 thousands of people. The incense 
 swung by the archbishop has a pun- 
 gent and delicious odor. After the 
 service, the officiating priest takes a 
 small cross down among the people, 
 who scramble and push to get an 
 opportunity to kiss it. We saw 
 some forlorn babies baptized after 
 the Sunday-morning service, and it 
 was quite harrowing to see the rough 
 way they were held by an assistant 
 while with a spoon the priest forced 
 some of the noxious holy water down 
 their throats. When in England 
 Peter the Great was much pleased 
 with the tall old-fashioned clocks 
 and ordered one placed in each 
 church in St. Peterburg, where they 
 still remain in droll contrast to the 
 splendor of their surroundings. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 MORE CHURCHES, SHRINES, AND 
 
 MONASTERIES — DRIVES ABOUT 
 
 THE CAPITAL. 
 
 Why do not more people go to 
 Russia? That question kept recur- 
 ring to my mind all through those 
 pleasant days spent in the wonderful 
 country. Why do tourists so con- 
 tinually choose the beaten tracks of 
 travel, content often to spend much 
 time in London and Paris shops ? 
 Not that shops are to be despised, — 
 far be it from me to suggest that, 
 — but there are so many countries 
 of such absorbing interest and the 
 beauties of which are unknown to 
 most of us, that the taste for travel 
 and adventure is not at all difficult 
 to acquire. My ideas concerning 
 
More Churches. 83 
 
 Russia were vague. I thought of a 
 vast country in which there might 
 be much of interest, but had formed 
 no idea of the stupendous amount 
 of sight-seeing one could enjoy in 
 St. Petersburg and Moscow. While 
 we accomplished a great deal, I 
 feel a strong desire to return and 
 settle down for three or four months 
 in order to go about leisurely and 
 see more of the social life, which can 
 only be enjoyed in the winter. 
 
 After a good night's rest, we were 
 ready to begin our adventures early 
 the following morning after our ar- 
 rival. The w T eather was superb and 
 we were impatient to be off. Pilly 
 systematized our arrangements, and 
 we found no fatigue in carrying 
 them out. A smart landau with a 
 pair of excellent black horses held a 
 happy party, and off we started down 
 the Nevski, which is a broad, clean 
 avenue, three miles long. Churches 
 
84 Land of the Viking. 
 
 and shrines innumerable we wished 
 to visit, but were forced to content 
 ourselves with a few of the finest. 
 The Kazan cathedral, on the Nevski, 
 is a large, imposing building, a copy 
 of St. Peter's at Rome, with which 
 it compares rather unfavorably. The 
 interior is gorgeous with monoliths 
 of Finnish granite, Ikons, and candle- 
 sticks of great beauty. The Ikonas- 
 tas or screen and balustrade, are made 
 of solid silver, which was an offering 
 from the " zealous don Cossacks" 
 after Napoleon's retreat from Mos- 
 cow. In the centre of the screen is 
 a design in precious stones. 
 
 To this cathedral belongs the cele- 
 brated Ikon, called " Our Lady of 
 Kazan/' one of the most valuable in 
 Russia. It is set with myriads of 
 precious stones of the finest quality; 
 one huge sapphire, worth many thou- 
 sand pounds, was an offering from 
 a well-known grand duchess. Just 
 
More Churches. 85 
 
 below this stone was formerly a per- 
 fect diamond of great size. A story 
 was told us of a princess who, while 
 at her devotions, feeling the pangs of 
 hunger, bit out the fine stone, hiding 
 it under her tongue. The theft be- 
 ing discovered, the clever Russian 
 police soon found the culprit, and, 
 after her tongue was torn out, she 
 was exiled to Siberia. Moral : Al- 
 ways go to service after a satisfying 
 meal. In this same church are many 
 flags captured in battle from Turkey, 
 Persia, and France, and also huge 
 keys of captured fortresses, which 
 looked as if they might have belonged 
 to a giant's castle. 
 
 Driving past the Admiralty Square, 
 we saw the famous equestrian statue 
 of Peter, which is striking in its grace- 
 ful and spirited pose ; the charger is 
 crushing under his foot the serpent, 
 emblematical of the difficulties en- 
 countered and surmounted by the 
 
86 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Great Tsar. Of other fine statues 
 there are scores. Nicholas I. on 
 horseback, Catherine II., and several 
 others of emperors, generals, and a 
 fine statue in the well kept summer- 
 gardens to Kyrlof, the great Russian 
 satirist and translator of La Fon- 
 taine's fables. The work on the 
 figure is excellent, and the pedestal 
 well worth careful examination. On 
 the four sides are representations of 
 different fables, and the delicate carv- 
 ing and tracery are done with the 
 utmost care. 
 
 Across one of the numerous bridges 
 spanning the Neva we drove to the 
 fortress, in which stands the cele- 
 brated cathedral of St. Peter and St. 
 Paul. The cathedral is of fine pro- 
 portions, and the tall, slender spire, 
 being heavily gilded, is dazzling to 
 one's eyes. Nearly all the sovereigns 
 of Russia, with their families, are 
 buried here. According to the rules 
 
More Churches. 87 
 
 of the Russian Church, the marble 
 tombs are of the simplest description, 
 those of the Tsars and Tsaritas being 
 distinguished by the Russian eagle, 
 in gold, on each of the four corners. 
 The tomb of the martyred Tsar, 
 Alexander II., is especially guarded ; 
 the beautiful flowers with which it is 
 covered are renewed daily in large 
 cases, and all about the space allotted 
 to the last resting-place of the late 
 Tsar are scores of wreaths of laurel, 
 silver and gold, sent by patriotic so- 
 cieties and communities as tokens of 
 loyal sympathy and regret for his 
 terrible fate, which to us seems so 
 undeserved and so cruel. I entreat- 
 ed, and Pilly offered a bribe for a 
 flower or two from a fresh wreath 
 sent by the Emperor the previous 
 day, but, true to his orders, the 
 guard positively refused to allow it 
 to be touched. Unfortunate mon- 
 arch ! his terrible end was a base 
 
88 Land of the Viking. 
 
 requital for his emancipation act, by 
 which myriads of serfs were liberated. 
 It gave us a thrill to stand beside the 
 tomb of Peter the Great, that re- 
 markable man who created the Russia 
 of the present day, and to whose in- 
 satiable ambition most of the glory 
 of the wonderful country is due. 
 
 Within this very fortress where 
 the cathedral stands, Peter impris- 
 oned his son Alexis and his unfortu- 
 nate wife for treason, and, from the 
 effect of tortures inflicted, the wretch- 
 ed man died. While I feel a strong 
 inclination to devote much space to 
 the life and career of Peter, more 
 has been written of him than any 
 other character of Russian history, 
 and so well written that it would be 
 presumption in me to do more than 
 casually allude to him. The small 
 cottage where he lived while superin- 
 tending the building of that vast city 
 stands near the cathedral of Peter 
 
More Churches. 89 
 
 and Paul. A building has been 
 erected which entirely covers the 
 cottage, to protect it from decay. 
 One room, consecrated as a chapel, 
 contains the most holy Ikon in St. 
 Petersburg ; it is of great age, and 
 the Russians believe it to have been 
 painted by St. Luke ; the colors are 
 very dark, and the face of Christ is 
 haggard, showing traces of great suf- 
 fering. It accompanied Peter in all 
 his campaigns, and was held before 
 the soldiers to increase their enthusi- 
 asm, and they carried it at " Poltava/* 
 which proved so disastrous a battle 
 to Charles XII. and his forces. It is 
 often sent to the bedside of sick 
 people, accompanied by a priest, who 
 prays to it for the afflicted one ; the 
 price for visiting may be one or two 
 hundred rubles, according to the cir- 
 cumstances of people sending for it. 
 In the room adjoining the chapel are 
 numerous articles made by Peter's 
 
90 Land of the Viking. 
 
 skilful hands : a large table, carved 
 chair, stool, and candlesticks, also 
 the boat he built and sailed. 
 
 Proofs of the ignorance and super- 
 stition of the people are seen in the 
 large cases full of miniature arms, 
 legs, heads, and even whole bodies, 
 sent by sick people to be prayed for, 
 and representing the part of the body 
 afflicted ; offerings to the holy pic- 
 ture accompanied the bits of silver 
 bodies, consisting of lockets, rings, 
 brooches, and coins innumerable. 
 Service was being held while we 
 were in the cottage, and two women 
 were weeping bitterly ; evidently the 
 prayers were being chanted for some 
 dear one seriously ill, — perchance 
 dying. 
 
 The military cathedral of Preobra- 
 jenski is large and imposing, and we 
 were much interested in the fence 
 surrounding it composed of cannon 
 and chains taken from the Turks ; 
 
More Churches. 91 
 
 within are many flags captured in 
 battle. The pillars give one the im- 
 pression of palm-trees, a lance form- 
 ing each leaf. In a glass case beside 
 the altar lies a fine sword with rusty 
 scabbard ; it is the one worn by Alex- 
 ander II. when assassinated, and alas ! 
 the rust is caused by his blood. Near 
 the case are uniforms belonging to 
 him and his two predecessors. We 
 drove to the American and English 
 Embassies on the Palace quay, passed 
 the Winter Palace and the homes of 
 some of the Grand Dukes ; it is quite 
 the most fashionable drive in winter, 
 and must be beautiful with the 
 frozen Neva on the one hand and 
 magnificent architecture on the other. 
 The bridges in St. Petersburg are 
 especially worthy of notice, the y 
 " Nicholas " being one of the finest I 
 have ever seen ; it is broad and beau- 
 tifully constructed. The town being 
 intersected by arms of the Neva, 
 
92 Land of the Viking. 
 
 there is need of numerous bridges. 
 The crowd on the Nevski is cosmo- 
 politan ; one can always see Rus- 
 sians, Turks, Armenians, Jews, Poles, 
 Greeks, and of course Americans. The 
 few Russian women we saw attracted 
 us very much. The street-car service 
 is excellent in St. Petersburg, but 
 drosky driving was so expeditious 
 and cheap, that we did not use the 
 trams ; besides, the people looked 
 better at a distance than when we 
 were crowded in a car. The shops 
 are numerous and excellent, and filled 
 with most attractive goods ; the work 
 of the jewellers is fine, and we saw 
 much and bought a little of the 
 famous enamel, which is as beautiful 
 as it is expensive. Russian leather is a 
 misnomer; we tried unsuccessfully to 
 find some in many shops, but at last 
 Pilly enlightened us by saying: 
 " Bless your heart, miss, there aint any 
 Russia leather nearer than Austria." 
 
More Churches. 93 
 
 The lace and embroidery we found 
 reasonable and very effective, but 
 oh ! the bronzes ; — those of my 
 readers who visited the Centennial 
 will remember the gorgeous display 
 of bronzes, the designs are so fine 
 and the work beautifully done. The 
 great bazaar facing the Nevski, where 
 ten thousand merchants are said to 
 be engaged in business, looks as if it 
 belonged to some Eastern city ; men 
 of different nationalities are busy 
 there, and, although small, the shops 
 are filled with goods of every de- 
 scription. 
 
 A drive across the Neva to the 
 famous islands outside the city gave 
 us a little rest after the exhausting 
 day. At sunset we were standing on 
 the point of " Kammenoi-Ostrof " or 
 " Stone Island," where many wealthy 
 St. Petersburg families have their 
 summer homes. The view was lovely 
 and the clouds brilliant, and, wander- 
 
94 Land of the Viking. 
 
 ing about the islands, we enjoyed 
 the tranquillity of the place. There 
 are few Russians who are without 
 country homes, and in all the villages 
 and towns within a radius of fifty or 
 more miles, there are picturesque 
 residences belonging to all classes, — 
 nobility, gentry and tradespeople; 
 but few of the houses can compare 
 with the villas at Newport, Lenox, 
 and Bar Harbor. 
 
 The monastery of Alexander Nev- 
 ski is one of the most celebrated in 
 Russia. It stands at the extremity 
 of the Nevski Prospect and occupies a 
 large space ; there are seven churches 
 within the grounds, and the cathe- 
 dral built by Catherine II. is one of 
 the largest in St. Petersburg. (The 
 monastery was founded by Peter in 
 honor of the canonized Grand Duke, 
 whose name it bears, and who van- 
 quished the Swedes and Teutonic 
 knights in the thirteenth century.) 
 
More Churches. 95 
 
 It is very finely decorated with mar- 
 bles and precious stones ; the mag- 
 nificent altar-piece is by Raphael 
 Mengs, and there are excellent copies 
 of Guido, Rubens, and Perugino. The 
 shrine of Alexander Nevski is of 
 massive silver, containing nearly four 
 thousand pounds of pure metal, and 
 magnificently wrought in various de- 
 signs. In consecrated grounds about 
 the monastery are buried many 
 members of the wealthy Russian 
 families, and large sums are paid for 
 the privilege of burying the dead in 
 such a holy place. The graves are 
 very close together as the space is 
 somewhat limited, and we saw many 
 fresh flowers marking those graves 
 most recently made. The crypt of 
 the Cathedral of the Annunciation 
 contains tombs of several of the most 
 illustrious families in Russia ; they are 
 very ornate, and the rarest marbles 
 are used for the floors and walls. 
 
96 Land of the Viking. 
 
 The place is so tranquil that the 
 thought of death loses much of its 
 terror. In striking contrast to these 
 elaborate tombs, is the simple bronze 
 tablet marking the last resting-place 
 of the great General Suvaroff, who 
 made the tablet with his own hands, 
 inscribing it simply " Here lies Suva- 
 roff." The singing by the monks of 
 this monastery is celebrated, and we 
 enjoyed the music intensely ; the 
 singers have long, fair, crinkled hair, 
 and their voices are wonderful. I 
 never can forget the music we were 
 privileged to hear in both St. Peters- 
 burg and Moscow ; it almost made 
 us forget the cares aud sorrows of 
 life, and lifted our souls into a state 
 of ecstatic enjoyment. 
 
 " Now you 've heard the monks 
 sing — don't you want to hear the 
 nuns?" said our thoughtful guide, 
 and of course we did. The drive to 
 the convent was a long one, and after 
 
More Churches. gj 
 
 we left the Nevski the pavements 
 were rough and in rather bad condi- 
 tion, but we saw much of the oldest 
 part of the city and were on the 
 direct road to Moscow. Just be- 
 yond our destination stands the 
 Moscow gate, from which the post- 
 road starts for the old capital, four 
 hundred miles away. We found the 
 convent large, scrupulously clean, 
 and very attractive. The singing was 
 charming and the female voices har- 
 monized well, but after hearing such 
 fine singing by the male choirs we 
 missed the deep bass tones which 
 had so thrilled us. The Mother 
 Superior was very gracious to us, 
 thanks to Pilly, who evidently knew 
 her, and who skilfully slipped a small 
 offering into her hand while bowing 
 profoundly. Certainly, he was re- 
 markably clever in the way he took 
 us to see the best of every thing, 
 and his tips were much smaller than 
 
98 Land of the Viking. 
 
 we would have dared to offer the 
 lordly creatures who showed us 
 about palaces and museums. Al- 
 though Russia is distinctly a country 
 of fees, through our guide's judicious 
 management we found a very mod- 
 erate sum covered all expenditure in 
 that direction. We had anticipated 
 much trouble in going about the 
 city and fancied that sight-seeing 
 would be attended with many un- 
 pleasant red-tape details. I had 
 visions of being followed by stern 
 officials, stopped for explanations as 
 to my purpose in visiting the coun- 
 try, and eavesdropping on all sides, 
 but, on the contrary, no place could 
 possibly be pleasanter to go about 
 in, and everywhere we met the great- 
 est kindness and courtesy. One re- 
 gret was ever in my mind, that we 
 could not remain months instead of 
 weeks in Russia. 
 
 The hotel chambermaid evident- 
 
More Churches. 99 
 
 ly considered water very harmful, 
 whether applied outwardly or inter- 
 nally, and a cold tub every morning 
 filled her soul with horror, but finding 
 I was firm, she overcame her scru- 
 ples with the aid of a ruble or two. 
 In most of the shops French is spo- 
 ken ; but once or twice the Matron 
 and Madame endeavored to shop 
 unaided by Pilly, with disastrous re- 
 sults to themselves. A very little 
 Russian is of great assistance, and 
 a few every-day phrases should be 
 learned before visiting the country, 
 for one feels so helpless hearing peo- 
 ple speak in a language which is ab- 
 solutely unlike any thing in Europe, 
 Asia, or Africa, unless it might be a 
 combination of all. 
 
 The droskies in Petersburg have 
 one peculiarity lacking in those in 
 Moscow. As can be seen, they are 
 very narrow and without sides or 
 back ; add to this the most rapid, 
 
ioo Land of the Viking. 
 
 reckless driving, and it is very easy 
 to understand why the necessity 
 arises for a man to hold fast the 
 woman with whom he is driving. It 
 looked very strange to us to see 
 what might be called a still waltz 
 going on in every drosky, but being 
 the custom of the country, it lost its 
 strangeness, and we soon became ac- 
 customed to it. 
 
 The broad avenues of St. Peters- 
 burg must present a brilliant appear- 
 ance in winter, being crowded with 
 sledges and troikas driven rapidly 
 and noiselessly over the snow. The 
 driving is so reckless that there is an 
 average of one person killed daily, 
 but, fortunately, the law is not the 
 same as in France, where any one 
 run over is fined for obstructing the 
 thoroughfare, and I suppose the fine 
 is proportionate to the injury re- 
 ceived. 
 
H. I. M. THE EMPEROR OF RUSSIA. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 DAYS AT TSARSKOE SELO AND 
 PETERHOF. 
 
 We spent a very enjoyable day at 
 Tsarskoe Selo, the favorite summer 
 residence of the late Tsar, but where 
 the present imperial family never re- 
 sides. The town from which the pal- 
 ace takes its name is situated twenty- 
 two versts from St. Petersburg. A 
 drive of ten minutes from the rail- 
 way station, during which we passed 
 a mammoth orangery, of course, be- 
 longing to the imperial estate, 
 brought us to the enormous and 
 imposing palace. At the main en- 
 trance, which faces a large court, 
 there were a number of lackeys 
 standing to receive us. They wore 
 the imperial livery of gray, trimmed 
 
102 Land of the Viking. 
 
 with narrow bands of gilt and elab- 
 orately stamped in black, with the 
 double-headed eagle of Russia. It 
 would be an interesting matter to 
 know how many servants are em- 
 ployed in the different palaces, as 
 there are always so many standing 
 about. Pilly told us that in the 
 royal stables livery is provided for 
 two thousand men, and at Tsarskoe 
 Selo, where the grounds are very 
 extensive and kept in perfect condi- 
 tion, there are six hundred garden- 
 ers working. 
 
 At the entrance of each palace 
 and governmental offices stands a 
 major-domo whose appearance is 
 very imposing, wearing a scarlet coat 
 reaching the ground, with five small 
 capes edged with the elaborate bands 
 to which reference has already been 
 made, a startling hat, and carrying a 
 long wand of office. All these men 
 knew Pilly, who is evidently a prime 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 103 
 
 favorite, and great liberty is accorded 
 him. The Royal Chapel, where we 
 were taken first, is said to be the most 
 ornate in Russia, and we accepted 
 the statement without doubting its 
 truth, for, although small, it is per- 
 fectly gorgeous, — no other word will 
 express it. Decorated in bright 
 blue and gold, with paintings of the 
 intensely high coloring so much af- 
 fected by many Russian artists, in 
 any other place it would seem dis- 
 tinctly vulgar, but there the effect is 
 not unpleasing. The massive gold 
 doors of the Ikonastas are especially 
 fine, and above is a striking decora- 
 tion in gold. 
 
 The balcony at the rear of the 
 chapel was the favorite place of the 
 late Tsar during service, and, stand- 
 ing where he had so often been, we 
 tried to imagine his feelings, but 
 without success. Although it may 
 reasonably be supposed that his 
 
104 Land of the Viking. 
 
 trials were no less than those of the 
 rest of mankind, it is fairly certain 
 that the good and evil within him 
 strove for the victory, as in mortals 
 of commoner clay. At all events, 
 the existence of a Russian Emperor 
 cannot be an enviable one in these 
 troublous times. A friend told us 
 that the present Empress lives in 
 constant fear of some deed of violence 
 being done to her husband ; but for 
 that terrible anxiety their lives might 
 be so happy, for they, of all people, 
 have in such profusion every luxury 
 and pleasure this world can give. 
 
 The state apartments at Tsarskoe 
 Selo are, of course, magnificent be- 
 yond description ; the famous amber 
 room, worth I dare not say how many 
 millions of rubles, is marvellous. The 
 walls of this very large apartment are 
 covered nearly to the ceiling with 
 small pieces perfectly fitted, making 
 a smooth surface of opaque amber ; 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peter hof. 105 
 
 tables are inlaid with it, chandeliers 
 ornamented with it, and all kinds of 
 ornaments are carved from it ; in 
 glass cases are small articles cut from 
 the clearest specimen that I ever 
 saw. A chess-board, with elaborately 
 carved men, is of the most exquisite 
 workmanship, and bears the closest 
 examination. The furniture is cov- 
 ered with brocade of the same color. 
 All the amber was presented by 
 Frederick the Great to Catherine II., 
 that bold, ambitious, profligate wo- 
 man, whose husband, Peter III., was 
 strangled, probably by her order. 
 However, with all her wickedness, 
 cruel despotism, and reckless ex- 
 travagance, Catherine did much to 
 advance civilization in Russia. 
 
 The lapis-lazuli room, containing 
 tables, candelabra, vases, and numer- 
 ous other articles of the same rare 
 mineral, has a floor of ebony, inlaid 
 with mother-of-pearl, making a splen- 
 
106 Land of the Viking. 
 
 did effect. The bedrooms are hung 
 with richest silks of different colors, 
 one in rose-pink being perfectly ex- 
 quisite. The bedroom of the Em- 
 press Catherine . is decorated in an 
 unusual way, having walls of porce- 
 lain and pillars of amethyst glass. 
 The large Chinese room, connected 
 with the private apartments of the 
 late Empress, is fitted up in superb 
 style ; every thing was brought direct 
 from China, the walls being made in 
 sections for this especial room. The 
 embroidered silk-hangings and furni- 
 ture coverings are of the richest 
 possible description ; beautiful vases, 
 genuine lacquer-ware, brilliant em- 
 broideries, and ornaments of all 
 kinds are in reckless profusion. This 
 wonderful room was formerly used 
 for tea-drinkings, and is kept exactly 
 as it was during the life of the late 
 Empress. A number of inlaid tables 
 holding rare china tea-sets are placed 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peter hof. 107 
 
 about the room, and every thing 
 seems in readiness for guests to ar- 
 rive and refresh themselves with 
 " yellow tea," and oh, how we 
 longed for a cup ! The royal play- 
 room is most unique, and fitted up 
 as a gymnasium ; how my heart 
 stirred at the sight of a small ma- 
 hogany toboggan slide, polished to 
 the highest degree of smoothness ; 
 we were very hilarious when, sliding 
 down on a square of red cloth, which 
 takes one rapidly across the large 
 room, and our enthusiasm won a 
 smile from the serious lackey in 
 attendance upon us. 
 
 The palace contains hundreds of 
 rooms, of which we saw a large num- 
 ber ; they are all crammed with bric- 
 a-brac of every sort, malachite tables, 
 huge candelabra, vases, writing-sets, 
 and clocks, all set in gold bronze. 
 We examined rare porcelain, pictures 
 and ornaments of all kinds until our 
 
108 Land of the Viking. 
 
 brains and eyes were weary, and we 
 longed for a pine table. The inlaid 
 floors in all the palaces were the 
 finest we had ever seen, and the 
 massive doors were of gold, silver, 
 buhl, bronze, and rarest woods, heav- 
 ily carved. It seemed strange that 
 so little attention is paid to the com- 
 fort of bedrooms ; — where and how 
 they sleep seems to be the last prob- 
 lem the Russians consider. As for 
 the innumerable servants, in palaces 
 and houses of the nobility, they sleep 
 on sofas, or the floor, just as it hap- 
 pens ; there are as many as one hun- 
 dred and fifty employed in one 
 residence, each having a special duty, 
 and always refusing to do any thing 
 outside of that particular department. 
 The private apartments of Alex- 
 ander L, kept exactly as he left them, 
 are of great interest. His simple bed- 
 room contains a camp bedstead ; on 
 a table are brushes, combs, shaving 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 109 
 
 articles, and a pocket-handkerchief. 
 In the room are his uniform, cap, and 
 boots; the latter, being very long 
 and narrow, are patched in several 
 places. I have a confused recollec- 
 tion of banqueting- and ball-rooms, 
 having walls covered with gold and 
 silver and filled with mirrors and 
 a superb collection of rare vases. 
 The large grounds, some seven- 
 teen or eighteen miles in circum- 
 ference, are laid out in the most 
 elaborate manner, with pavilions, 
 towers, Chinese village, artificial 
 ruins, columns, statues, and many 
 other strange devices. On the 
 lake is kept a collection of boats of 
 every description. 
 
 During our stay in Petersburg the 
 annual fete at Peterhof was held 
 in honor of her Majesty's birthday. 
 All business was suspended in the 
 capital, every one taking a holiday. 
 Unfortunately it started to rain late 
 
no Land of the Viking. 
 
 in the afternoon, making it impos- 
 sible to have the illuminations at 
 Peterhof until the following evening 
 (Sunday). The temptation to go and 
 enjoy what we were certain would be 
 a great spectacle proved too much 
 for the Signorina and myself, so we 
 started by the steamer at four o'clock, 
 guarded by our faithful Pilly. The 
 charming sail occupied about an 
 hour, and arriving at Peterhof, Pilly 
 hastened to secure one of the few 
 good carriages at the wharf, but at 
 an enormous rate, as on fete days 
 Russian coachmen ask as much as 
 they please, and generally get it too. 
 What an amount of sight-seeing 
 we accomplished that afternoon! 
 Pilly certainly proved himself a 
 model guide, never wasting a mo- 
 ment, and always taking us to the 
 most desirable places. First of all to 
 the beautiful palace, where, on ac- 
 count of the holiday, no one was 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 1 1 1 
 
 admitted without a special permit, 
 which, however, had been secured 
 by our thoughtful courier. The 
 Emperor does not live there, but 
 has a magnificent summer residence 
 some two miles distant, and where 
 strangers are not allowed to go. The 
 State Palace stands on a high ter- 
 race, below which the fountains and 
 innumerable devices for water ex- 
 tend some hundreds of yards. As 
 we drove through the long park be- 
 fore reaching the palace, we saw 
 some of the elaborate preparations 
 made for the illuminations. Large 
 frames of odd, artistic designs, cover- 
 ed with small colored glasses, each 
 holding a candle, were on either side 
 of the road. By the way, our ex- 
 pectations as to the beauty of the 
 display were naturally high, as we 
 had been told that the Tsar had 
 given one hundred and twenty thou- 
 sand rubles, or sixty thousand dollars, 
 
H2 Land of the Viking. 
 
 for one evening's illumination. We 
 were charmed with the palace ; in 
 striking contrast with many others it 
 seemed very home-like, and excellent 
 taste was displayed throughout. At 
 the entrance, with a dozen or more 
 lackeys, stood one of the Tsar's eight 
 Nubian footmen ; being very tall and 
 very black, dressed in Eastern cos- 
 tume, he was an imposing figure. The 
 halls and staircases were beautifully 
 decorated with ferns, palms, and other 
 plants. The suite of rooms occupied 
 by the Kaiser during his late visit 
 were very cheerfully and exquisitely 
 fitted up. Trying the couches and 
 chairs, we found them most lux- 
 urious, all being stuffed with eider- 
 down. Room after room we passed 
 through, all containing beautiful 
 articles of the rarest description. 
 The dressing-room has the most 
 exquisite mirrors, and toilet arrange- 
 ments of Dresden china, which look- 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 113 
 
 ed much too delicate and fragile 
 for a man's use. Among the most 
 attractive of the hundreds of rooms, 
 the White Banquet-Hall stands pre- 
 eminent. Large, with marble walls, 
 white enamelled furniture, uphol- 
 stered in white brocade velvet, with 
 hangings of the same, marble tables 
 scattered about, the only color be- 
 ing in the chandeliers, which are 
 of amethyst crystal, the effect of 
 the room is dazzlingly beautiful. 
 One highly interesting apartment 
 contains a collection of over eight 
 hundred female portraits, painted by 
 order of Catherine II., by Rotari, 
 who made a journey through Russia 
 for the purpose of finding different 
 models. They are all beautiful girls 
 in picturesque national costumes, 
 and one is impressed with the in- 
 ventive genius of the artist who was 
 able to give a different expression to 
 so many faces. 
 
1 14 Land of the Viking. 
 
 The ornamental water-works are 
 of the most elaborate description. 
 The garden is laid out in terraces 
 adorned with devices of every kind ; 
 they are considered to be but little 
 inferior to those at Versailles. The 
 cascades are beautiful in the day- 
 time, but at night, when illuminated 
 with colored lights from underneath, 
 it was like fairy-land. The English 
 Palace, so-called on account of the 
 gardens which belong to it having 
 been laid out by a landscape gardener 
 brought from England for the pur- 
 pose, is a square, unpretentious 
 building, now used for drilling boys 
 for the royal choir. In one room 
 there is a spirited portrait of Cath- 
 erine the Great on horseback, in 
 male attire, at the head of her army, 
 and also one of Elizabeth, attended 
 by a negro runner. 
 
 A French villa a mile distant from 
 the park, stands in the midst of a 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 1 1 5 
 
 fine garden, where the flowers were 
 growing luxuriously. At the back 
 of the villa the grounds are elabo- 
 rately laid out, and although small 
 the plan is charming. The house is 
 furnished a la Louis Seize, the bro- 
 cade hangings being of delicate and 
 appropriate colors, the doors are in- 
 laid with Sevres china, and there is 
 much to admire in the ornamenta- 
 tion of the house. Every thing is in 
 order, should their Majesties choose 
 to step in and stay for a day or two, — 
 even the delicate china is in readi- 
 ness, and being designed for this 
 villa is of course in keeping with the 
 prevailing style. 
 
 The model cottage within the 
 park limits is a small two-story pic- 
 turesque building, a fac-simile of 
 what a peasants home should be, 
 but from the reports of the abject 
 poverty of many Russian subjects, it 
 is probably only an ideal home. The 
 
1 1 6 Land of the Viking. 
 
 simple wooden furniture is of artistic 
 design ; the blue and white china and 
 plain glass are thoroughly appro- 
 priate, and ready for use. 
 
 In several of the rooms are dis- 
 played many bread-trenchers and salt- 
 boxes of carved wood, presented to 
 different Tsars when visiting small 
 towns and villages in the empire. 
 The Russian custom is to offer a 
 freshly baked loaf of bread on the 
 trencher, the small box filled with 
 salt being laid on top of the loaf, — a 
 very hospitable and attractive wel- 
 come it seems to me. The straw 
 cottage, a favorite resort of Cath- 
 erine II., is a most deceptive build- 
 ing. The exterior is small, and 
 before going in we supposed the 
 rooms would be tiny, but to our 
 surprise the entrance hall seemed 
 enormous, and we found it was due 
 to the ceiling and walls being lined 
 with mirrors. The artificial vines 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 117 
 
 trained over the walls successfully 
 simulate real foliage. Catherine, 
 accompanied by a few favorites, went 
 often to this charming cottage for 
 tea on summer afternoons, all court 
 formalities being laid aside. We 
 heard much about this Empress' ex- 
 travagance ; there seemed to be no 
 limit to her goodness to favorites, 
 but to those unfortunate enough to 
 incur her displeasure, she spared no 
 torture. Prince Potemkin, for a long 
 time her lover, had unbounded influ- 
 ence over this bad but brilliant 
 woman, and the amount of money 
 she squandered upon him was per- 
 fectly fabulous. 
 
 We were charmed with the small 
 mill where Nicholas and his children 
 often went and played at humble life, 
 although not with such an extreme 
 affectation of simplicity as Marie 
 Antoinette and her court at Trianon. 
 A Pompeian villa we of course en- 
 
1 1 8 Land of the Viking. 
 
 joyed seeing every detail being cor- 
 rect. On a high elevation stands 
 the beautiful Belvedere. It is built 
 in the Greek style, of gray granite 
 with Ionic columns of white mar- 
 ble. One has from this pavilion 
 an extensive view of the sur- 
 rounding country, which is some- 
 what picturesque. Some very fine 
 statuary stands at the entrance. 
 There is a comfortable elevator in- 
 side, but only for royal use. The 
 rooms are well appointed, the fur- 
 niture and china being especially 
 designed for the building. 
 
 Two small islands in the lake, the 
 Empress and the Olga, are reached 
 in an unique manner. A square, 
 wooden platform, holding four chairs, 
 is pulled to and fro by ropes passing 
 through rings on the top of iron 
 posts, one being at each corner of 
 the platform. They are worked by 
 two men-of-war's men in the Russian 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 1 1 9 
 
 naval uniform. We enjoyed this 
 novel experience, and after reaching 
 the Empress isle, we found the so- 
 called summer-house a picturesque 
 villa, perfect in all its appointments; 
 the china, decorated with sea-weed, 
 and with handles and feet of coral, 
 was in keeping with the island. 
 Flowers were plentiful, and we picked 
 some of the largest pansies I have 
 ever seen ; a thriving tree is growing 
 from an acorn taken from George 
 Washington's grounds, and present- 
 ed to Nicholas I. by a brother of 
 Charles Sumner. Near by is the 
 cottage of Peter the Great — a square, 
 unpretentious building, containing 
 much of his clothing and furniture. 
 
 We were not allowed to enter 
 Montplaisir, a low Dutch summer- 
 house, as preparations were being 
 made for the royal party to drink 
 tea there after driving about to see 
 the illuminations. By eight o'clock 
 
1 20 Land of the Viking. 
 
 it was growing dark, and needing 
 some rest after so much sight-seeing, 
 we ventured to partake of a Russian 
 dinner before going out to see the 
 grand display. We were told that 
 the lighting of the various devices 
 required eighteen hundred men 
 working steadily for more than half 
 an hour. 
 
 After dinner we started to walk 
 through the park ; the crowd was 
 great, and a multitude of peasants in 
 national costumes made a pictu- 
 esque effect ; there was perfect order 
 among the tens of thousands of ex- 
 pectant people. To give any ade- 
 quate idea of the grandeur of the 
 display would require pages of high- 
 flown language with adjectives ad 
 nauseam. It was one's idea of fairy- 
 land, and now the evening seems like 
 an entrancing dream. Standing on 
 the terrace in front of the palace, we 
 looked down upon fountains, cascades, 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 121 
 
 and artificial streams all lighted from 
 below with various colors. At the 
 end of this long avenue of water was 
 an enormous sun with the imperial 
 cipher in the centre ; probably this 
 design was made of tin, but illumi- 
 nated with the strongest electric 
 light it resembled a mass of diamonds ; 
 the effect of this shining on the 
 water was dazzling. On each side of 
 the broad walk were frames of vari- 
 ous shapes, stars, crescents, crosses, 
 and geometrical designs, all blazing 
 with colored lights. In the great 
 fountain Sampson, so called from a 
 large bronze figure tearing open the 
 jaws of a lion, from which rushes 
 a stream eighty feet high, the color 
 of the water was constantly chan- 
 ging, making a grand effect. Marly, 
 Peter's cottage, seen across the minia- 
 ture illuminated lake, looked as if built 
 of the palest yellow alabaster ; the 
 way in which this plain little house 
 
122 Land of the Viking. 
 
 was lighted seemed to transform it 
 into a fairy palace. Why continue 
 the details of the wonderful ensem- 
 ble; the scene could not be surpassed 
 in beauty, and we walked about as in 
 a dream. In some places the effects 
 were so exquisite, that I could only 
 look stupidly before me and pinch 
 myself to find out whether I was 
 really in the flesh or transported to 
 the realm of fancy. We were in a 
 state of expectancy, knowing that 
 the Emperor and Empress were 
 driving through the park, and we 
 waited to see them near the middle 
 of the long avenue where the Tsar's 
 Circassian body-guard was stationed. 
 Few precautions for the safety of the 
 royal party were taken, except that 
 the way was kept clear by this singu- 
 larly handsome corps of soldiers 
 dressed in their national uniform. 
 The thousands of people lining both 
 sides of the avenue waited patiently 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peter hof. 123 
 
 for a sight of their majesties, and 
 after a few moments of expectation 
 we heard cheer after cheer from the 
 direction in which they were coming. 
 We had an excellent position near the 
 road and could see very well. 
 
 Soon two big English breaks came 
 in sight, followed by several smaller 
 traps. In the first were the Emperor, 
 Empress, their children, and near 
 relatives ; the second was occupied 
 by friends, and the carriages by ladies 
 and gentlemen of the court. The 
 breaks were each drawn by eight 
 horses with postilions and outriders 
 in scarlet and gold. The crowd dis- 
 played great enthusiasm and we were 
 delighted to have seen the imperial 
 party. We looked at the approach 
 to Montplaisir, which of course was 
 beautifully lighted and decorated, 
 making a brilliant effect through the 
 trees. The music by several military 
 bands stationed through the park 
 
124 Land of the Viking. 
 
 was excellent, and some stirring airs 
 from Glinka's " Life for the Tsar," 
 were enthusiastically appreciated by 
 the dense throng of people. All 
 through the park the display was 
 elaborate, and after walking miles 
 and seeing much that was novel, we 
 left for the railway station at eleven 
 P.M., when the fireworks were com- 
 mencing. We had abundant oppor- 
 tunity to rest and talk over the 
 pleasures of the excursion ; as the 
 train being delayed we did not reach 
 our hotel until two o'clock on Mon- 
 day morning, so we did not desecrate 
 Sunday by returning on that day. 
 How fine it all was ! We considered 
 ourselves lucky in having seen the 
 display, and in a feeble way we began 
 to realize how great the power of the 
 Tsar is. Every thing belongs to him, 
 and from infancy the heir-apparent is 
 taught that he is the sole ruler of the 
 empire, and to his will all must bow; 
 
Tsarskoe Selo and Peterhof. 125 
 
 he is reverenced by the masses as a 
 God, and there is no possibility of 
 giving an adequate idea of his riches 
 of palaces and villas ; he has at least 
 half a hundred, all filled with the 
 most rare and expensive articles. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 A GLIMPSE OF THE HERMITAGE. 
 
 How shall I be able to do even 
 slight justice to the Hermitage, that 
 wonderful museum, conceded by an- 
 tiquarians and scholars to contain the 
 richest treasures ever accumulated in 
 one place. Founded by Catherine 
 II. in a small pavilion attached to 
 the Winter Palace, it was enlarged by 
 her in order to furnish room for the 
 vast collection of fine pictures which 
 it contains. The Empress used the 
 Hermitage as a refuge from the cares, 
 responsibilities, and formalities of her 
 position ; her evenings were spent 
 there, and she gathered about her 
 artists, poets, men of letters, philoso- 
 phers, wits, and musicians. Certain 
 rules observed by the privileged fre- 
 
THE EMPRESS OF RUSSIA. 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 127 
 
 quenters of the Hermitage are so 
 apt, that I will insert them here : 
 
 " I. Leave your rank outside as well 
 as your hat, and especially your 
 sword. 
 
 " II. Leave your right of prece- 
 dence, your pride, and any similar 
 feeling out-side the door. 
 
 " III. Be gay, but do not spoil any 
 thing; do not break or gnaw any 
 thing. 
 
 " IV. Sit, stand, walk, as you will, 
 without reference to anybody. 
 
 " V. Talk moderately, but not very 
 loud, to make the ears and hearts of 
 others ache. 
 
 "VI. Argue without anger and 
 without excitement. 
 
 "VII. Neither sigh, nor yawn, nor 
 make anybody heavy. 
 
 " VIII. In all innocent games 
 whatever one proposes, let all join. 
 
 " IX. Eat whatever is sweet and 
 savory, but drink moderately, so 
 
128 Land of the Viking. 
 
 that each may find his legs on leav- 
 ing the room. 
 
 " X. Tell no tales out of school ; 
 whatever goes in at one ear must go 
 out of the other before leaving the 
 room. 
 
 " A transgressor against these rules 
 shall, on the testimony of two wit- 
 nesses, for every offence drink a glass 
 of cold water, not excepting the 
 ladies, and further read a page of 
 ' Telemachiade ' aloud. Whoever 
 breaks any three of these rules dur- 
 ing the same evening shall commit 
 six lines of the * Telemachiade ' to 
 memory ; and whoever offends against 
 the tenth rule shall not be again ad- 
 mitted/' 
 
 The building is very imposing, and 
 for beauty and costliness scarcely 
 equalled in Europe. It forms a great 
 parallelogram 515 by 375 feet, with a 
 magnificent entrance. The vestibule, 
 is upheld by ten caryatides twelve or 
 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 129 
 
 fifteen feet high, cut from granite, 
 with statues of sculptors, artists, and 
 painters, are placed in niches, and 
 you enter a great hall supported by 
 the usual colonnade of beautiful 
 pillars cut from Finland granite. 
 Now that we have passed the en- 
 trance, I hardly know where to be- 
 gin. Those of my readers who have 
 been privileged to visit this wonder- 
 ful place will appreciate how difficult 
 it will be to give an adequate idea of 
 the vast collection of statuary, paint- 
 ings, jewels, coins, and antiquities, 
 which it contains. It seems to me 
 that a knowledge of the contents of 
 this vast museum would constitute 
 a liberal education. 
 
 To the rooms filled with the Kertch 
 collection we went first ; it is said to 
 be the most remarkable and unique 
 in the world. Found in the Cim- 
 merian Bosphorus, it proves the ex- 
 istence of Greek colonies six hundred 
 
130 Land of the Viking. 
 
 years before the birth of Christ. A 
 sarcophagus, made of cypress and 
 yew, with skeleton probably depos- 
 ited twenty-two hundred years ago, is 
 in a remarkable state of preservation, 
 and the vermilion coloring of some 
 of the ornaments can still be traced. 
 Cases line the walls and fill the 
 rooms, containing rare coins, medals, 
 jewels of every kind, and of such 
 delicate workmanship that it seems 
 as if they could not have been made 
 by human hands. Among the Gre- 
 cian curios is an old helmet, which 
 still contains the head of the owner, 
 the cracked skull and injured helmet 
 indicating that a stone was thrown 
 with tremendous force from a sling, 
 which expeditiously ended the life of 
 the warrior. The delicate tracery of 
 the goldsmith's work surpasses in 
 beauty any thing of the present day ; 
 and there is such a bewildering col- 
 lection that one is at a loss where to 
 begin looking. There are many 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 131 
 
 terra-cotta toys found in children's 
 tombs, household utensils, vases, 
 lamps, iridescent glass, rare scarabei, 
 and various ornaments for men 
 and women. The most valuable case 
 is in the room containing treasures 
 of a priestess of Ceres. The trap- 
 pings of her horses were buried with 
 her, also sandals, exquisite repousde 
 looking-glass of bronze, gilt bracelets, 
 buttons, necklace, and diadem, all 
 used by her. There is also an exten- 
 sive collection of Scythian, Siberian, 
 and Russian antiquities. In the 
 numismatic collection of over 200,- 
 000 specimens are many coins of an- 
 cient Greece and Rome ; three large 
 cases are filled with old English 
 coins, among them some belonging 
 to the days before the Roman Con- 
 quest. Two gems, perhaps the finest 
 and most important extant, are 
 signed " Dexamenos," and their de- 
 sign is a heron flying. 
 
 It was a source of genuine repret 
 
132 Land of the Viking. 
 
 that we could not spend more time 
 among these relics of by-gone days. 
 When of such interest to us, what an 
 absorbing delight they must be to 
 the classical scholar. We lingered 
 among those wonderful antiquities, 
 until Pilly exclaimed in a tone of 
 despair: " Ladies and gentleman 
 and Miss, the Hermitage closes at 
 three, and you have seen nothing 
 yet." He took a keen delight in 
 showing us special objects in each 
 collection, and always selected the 
 most interesting. 
 
 Now for the armory, filling, I 
 think, eight or nine rooms. It is by 
 far the finest collection in the world, 
 and we were told that it would equal a 
 combination of all similar displays in 
 Europe. Its value is beyond computa- 
 tion. There is every kind of armor 
 for man and horse, ancient and mod- 
 ern, heavy and light, ornate and sim- 
 ple, Persian, Indian, Japanese, Bokha- 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 133 
 
 rian, Albanian, German, French, Tar- 
 tar, Arabian, Polish, and Italian. A 
 huge Scandinavian war-trumpet in- 
 terested us. Having been so recently 
 in " the land of the Viking," every- 
 thing connected with that grand 
 country, and especially with the days 
 of so long ago, had a fascination for 
 us. Of firearms there are every con- 
 ceivable kind and from various coun- 
 tries, — poisonous daggers from the 
 East, scimitars, Italian stilettos, and 
 swords by the hundreds, some with 
 scabbards entirely encrusted with 
 diamonds and other precious stones, 
 with the hilts a mass of glittering 
 gems ; room after room it was the 
 same story. 
 
 Two sets of horse trappings, pre- 
 sented by the Sultan to Nicholas L, 
 one after the treaty of Adrianople in 
 1829, and the other in 1833, are °f 
 royal magnificence. The first we 
 could scarcely believe genuine velvet 
 
1 34 Land of the Viking. 
 
 saddle-cloth studded with diamonds, 
 bridle, pistol holsters, and gold stir- 
 rups all set with the same precious 
 stones, but the second stupefied us. 
 Saddle-cloth and bridle are a mass of 
 brilliants of the purest water, while 
 the brightness of those on the pistol 
 holsters is perfectly dazzling, and it 
 is worth a king's ransom. 
 
 When satiated with gems and the 
 magnificent armor, we betook our- 
 selves to the galleries, little realizing 
 what a treat was in store for us. 
 There are seventeen hundred paint- 
 ings by the best masters of the 
 Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, 
 Flemish, and German schools ; also 
 it is said to be the only gallery on 
 the Continent with a collection of 
 English pictures. It is especially 
 rich in Flemish and Spanish works, 
 including many Murillos, Velasquez, 
 Rubens, Van Dycks, Teniers, Vander- 
 helsts, Rembrandts, Wouvermans, 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 135 
 
 Paul Potters, etc. Raphael's frescos 
 fill two rooms, and were purchased in 
 1 861 with the Campana Museum in 
 Rome. In each of the eight rooms, 
 in addition to the pictures, are many 
 magnificent vases, tables, and cande- 
 labra of rare Siberian minerals, many 
 pieces of malachite, all of enormous 
 size, set in gold bronze. The violet 
 and ribbon jasper, we thought finest 
 until we saw some large candelabra 
 of rhodonite, a rare pink, variegated 
 stone which is perfectly exquisite 
 and cannot be purchased, being 
 worked only in the royal manufac- 
 tory for the use of the imperial 
 family and given by them to friends, 
 as are also several varieties of por- 
 phyry and jasper ; these gorgeous 
 ornaments alone are worth going 
 miles to see, and these rare stones 
 are to a great extent kept in Russia. 
 It seemed to me that the workmen 
 must have been possessed of great 
 
136 Land of the Viking. 
 
 artistic talent, for the carving of 
 them is done with consummate skill. 
 So many pictures charmed us that 
 merely to mention the names would 
 be wearisome to the reader, but I 
 must speak of a few which impressed 
 me most. In the Italian school 
 " Perseus and Andromeda/' by Tin- 
 toretto, is exquisite in coloring. 
 " David with the Head of Goliath," by 
 Guido Reni, is a strong, dark picture. 
 "The Virgin at School," by the same 
 master, is a group of fresh, innocent- 
 looking children. Carlo Dolci's" Saint 
 Cecilia" is very pleasing. The princi- 
 pal picture by Rubens is Mary Mag- 
 dalene bathing the Saviour's feet. 
 " The Expulsion of Hagar," also 
 Rubens', is exquisite, but to me 
 Vandervelde's treatment of the 
 subject is finer, and is one of the 
 most touchingly strong pictures in 
 the Dresden gallery. In one of the 
 rooms filled with Raphael's frescos 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 137 
 
 is his famous " Virgin and Child," 
 presented by Alexander II. to the 
 late Empress on the twenty-fifth 
 anniversary of their marriage, Leo- 
 nardo da Vinci's " Holy Family " is a 
 well-known work of great merit. 
 Paul Potter's " Watch Dog " is per- 
 fect ; the brilliant clear eye and mat- 
 ted coat are remarkably executed, 
 and the nine pictures by him are of 
 great interest. Wouverman's numer- 
 ous works are worth careful examina- 
 tion. No. 1,017 is one of the very 
 few pictures painted by him without 
 the ubiquitous white horse. 
 
 An allegorical picture, " The Infant 
 Hercules Strangling the Serpents," 
 painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds by 
 order of Catherine II., represents the 
 difficulties which beset the empire 
 and were overcome by it. The Em- 
 press was so pleased with this picture 
 that she sent the artist a gold snuff- 
 box and her portrait set in diamonds ; 
 
138 Land of the Viking. 
 
 there are several other fine works of 
 the great English painter. The col- 
 lection of Rembrandts is of great 
 interest, and as there are specimens 
 of his work at all periods on many 
 subjects, he can be studied here 
 better than anywhere else. One of 
 Peter denying Christ attracted special 
 attention ; the light on the picture 
 was from a candle, and the deep 
 shadows seemed weirdly impressive. 
 Rubens* " Descent from the Cross M 
 is a repetition of the famous one in 
 Antwerp, and of great artistic beauty. 
 In a room devoted to game and 
 fruit pictures is an exquisite marble 
 " Cupid and Psyche/' of Canova. 
 How clearly one can see the master's 
 hand in all his works ; this exquisite 
 piece is so natural that one would 
 fain waken both figures with a kiss. 
 In the French school Boucher, Wat- 
 teau, Greuze, Nicholas Poussin, and 
 Claude Lorraine are represented. 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 139 
 
 Canova's " Hebe " is also in this 
 apartment. 
 
 A few words about the numerous 
 Russian pictures and I am done. 
 " Sunrise on the Black Sea/' " The 
 Deluge," and " The Creation of the 
 World," all by the celebrated marine 
 painter Aivazofski, are strange and 
 quite unlike the work of any other 
 artist. The latter is the most extra- 
 ordinary, and the chaos from which 
 the world is emerging is indescribably 
 weird. His work is strong and daring, 
 and always recognizable even to a 
 casual observer. Neffs flesh paint- 
 ing is especially fine. The most 
 striking picture in the collection is 
 Briilow's " Last Days of Pompeii, " 
 and is considered the most important 
 work of the Russian school. The 
 deservedly famous " Venus " of the 
 Hermitage, a well preserved Greek 
 statue found at Rome, is one of the 
 most exquisite pieces of antique 
 
140 Land of the Viking. 
 
 statuary found in Europe, and we 
 were touched by its beauty. We 
 greatly enjoyed Canova's work, so ex- 
 quisite in its details, and the drapery 
 on his figures has a peculiarly diapha- 
 nous effect. A superb statue of 
 Mephistopheles fills one's ideas of 
 Satanic cunning. The position of 
 the figure, the satirical expression, 
 the tense muscles of fingers and toes, 
 suggest extreme diablerie. Two fine 
 pieces by Rauch — one of Voltaire, the 
 other of Ivan the Terrible — are of 
 great merit. 
 
 Our time was too limited to en- 
 able us to see the Library, with 
 its rare engravings, manuscripts, and 
 priceless missals. The collection of 
 Greek and Etruscan vases is the 
 most extensive in Europe, and the 
 gallery of drawings contains twelve 
 thousand works by eminent masters. 
 The memory of Peter the Great is 
 held in great reverence by the Rus- 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 141 
 
 sians ; there are souvenirs of him 
 everywhere, and we felt a strong in- 
 clination to see all we could of the 
 articles made and used by him. His 
 gallery in the Hermitage is crammed 
 with interesting things ; his strength 
 must have been in proportion to his 
 great stature, for the iron walking 
 stick he carried we could barely 
 raise an inch from the floor. We ex- 
 amined his books, mathematical in- 
 struments, lathe and carving tools. 
 His effigy in a suit embroidered by 
 his wife, Catherine I., is in the cen- 
 tre of the gallery. An interesting ob- 
 ject to us was a cast made of his face 
 when alive ; the long hair and mus- 
 tache are jet black. The horse he 
 rode at Pultava, and several favorite 
 dogs, stand in a glass case, but either 
 the horse must have shrunken in the 
 preserving process, or Peter must 
 have had both feet on the ground 
 when astride the fiery charger, as it 
 
142 Land of the Viking. 
 
 is now not much taller than a Lower 
 Canadian pony. He worked with 
 many different materials ; turning, 
 carving, and embossing, he tried them 
 all. 
 
 Just before we left the gallery, 
 Pilly came toward us, saying in a 
 mysterious whisper : " Come, follow 
 me at once, don't speak, and try not 
 to breathe more than is absolutely 
 necessary. ,, Naturally we nearly 
 choked in a mad endeavor to cease 
 inhaling oxygen, and were quickly 
 taken to the private state apart- 
 ments, which are closed to the gen- 
 eral public. This magnificent suite 
 of rooms has a fine view of the 
 Neva, and at different times has 
 been occupied by the Prince and 
 Princess of Wales, the Shah of Per- 
 sia, and the late Emperor Frederick, 
 when Crown Prince, with his wife. 
 We were singularly fortunate in see- 
 ing these rooms, which were in readi- 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 143 
 
 ness for the Khedive's son, who was 
 to arrive the following day. Fitted 
 up with the greatest luxury, they 
 are home-like and comfortable to 
 the highest degree. Seeing the 
 furniture uncovered, flowers placed 
 all about the rooms, and even writ- 
 ing materials laid ready, Pilly said 
 " Ladies, you are very lucky ; I know 
 every part of this place well, but I 
 never saw these rooms when in order 
 for royal guests, and in the twenty- 
 nine years I have lived in Peters- 
 burg I never before realized the 
 gorgeousness of this part of the 
 Hermitage." We were obliged to 
 walk through these forbidden rooms 
 very quietly, for fear the people 
 in charge below would hear, and 
 finding interlopers would probably 
 have ejected us, if not by force, 
 at least with a volley of Russian, 
 which is unmusical not to say bar- 
 barous in sound. The attendant 
 
144 Land of the Viking. 
 
 lackey seemed to enjoy giving us a 
 glimpse of forbidden grandeur. The 
 low wide steps of marble connected 
 with these beautiful apartments are 
 covered with richest velvet. 
 
 Returning through an ante-room 
 we saw the celebrated clock in the 
 shape of a large gold peacock with 
 complicated works. Such a collec- 
 tion of snuff-boxes, some of enamel, 
 others of gold set with precious 
 stones. One presented by the Sul- 
 tan to the wife of Nicholas I. is 
 covered with purest diamonds, and 
 when sent contained a shawl. Think 
 of the texture of a shawl which could 
 be folded and placed in a snuff-box 
 of ordinary dimensions. Numerous 
 cases are filled with all kinds of 
 gorgeous bric-a-brac. I have a cha- 
 otic remembrance of ornaments of 
 carved ivory, historical miniature 
 dishes, of enamel toys of Catherine 
 II., silver and gold curios from Japan 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 145 
 
 and China, filigree ornaments, case 
 of watches of various queer designs, 
 bouquets of flowers formed entirely of 
 precious stones, and the plume of 
 Prince Potemkin, presented by a 
 Sultan, — a mass of glittering dia- 
 monds which almost dazzle my eyes 
 in thinking of it. 
 
 Such collections of rare articles of 
 the greatest value we had never 
 dreamed of, and when Pilly said, with 
 a majestic wave of his hand : " Walk 
 this way and behold ' ladies' de- 
 light/ ' we were tempted to say : 
 " No more, Pilly, no more.'* This 
 so called " ladies' delight " was a 
 case full of jewelled watches of 
 artistic design and workmanship ; 
 most of them were worn as chate- 
 laines and encrusted with gems ; 
 there must have been two hundred, 
 and of course represented a fabulous 
 sum. Some exquisite specimens of 
 the lapidary's art included a walking- 
 
146 Land of the Viking. 
 
 stick in jasper covered with dia- 
 monds, also jewelled handles for 
 umbrellas belonging to the Empress 
 Elizabeth. Among the numerous 
 pocket-books are some of shell en- 
 amel, silver and gold ornamented 
 with diamonds, and a few of the 
 beautiful old Niello work now so 
 rare. But I must cease ; if my readers 
 are wearied I crave indulgence; the 
 vast museum is so wonderful that a 
 description, however brief one may 
 endeavor to make it, must of neces- 
 sity be lengthy. Among all the 
 wonders of this vast collection none 
 are more beautiful than the large 
 ornaments before referred to of the 
 rare Siberian stones, lapis-lazuli, 
 malachite, porphyry, jasper, and 
 rhodonite. 
 
 Exhaustion followed our excit- 
 ing morning, and we were glad to 
 rest until six o'clock, when two 
 American friends, residents of Peters- 
 
A Glimpse of the Hermitage. 147 
 
 burg, came to take us to drive be- 
 fore dinner. The Matron drove in 
 a drosky with our senior host and 
 found the national vehicle most com- 
 fortable, and although in some re- 
 spects the ride was novel. 
 
 Think of a real " Rudder Grange " 
 in Russia ! Sure enough, on arriving 
 at our host's home, we found it a 
 house-boat, moored to Petrofsky 
 Island, and a great improvement 
 upon the original, only Euphemia 
 was absent, or rather had never been 
 present, and the German Pomona 
 was elderly and unmusical ; the novel 
 way of living fascinated us. Rud- 
 der Grange has two stories; the 
 salon, containing a large organ and 
 billiard-table, is a charming room. 
 Sunset from the deck, or veranda, 
 whichever you choose, was fine, and 
 the situation of Rudder Grange com- 
 mands a fine view of the Neva and 
 harbor. 
 
148 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Before returning to our hotel, we 
 stopped at the Aquarium, and lis- 
 tened to excellent orchestral music 
 while we drank Russian tea, wishing, 
 meanwhile, that the delightful even- 
 ing was just beginning. The sheep- 
 skin-clad moujik was lying on the 
 door-step when we reached the Grand, 
 and we felt a thrill of pity for those 
 wretched men, whose duty it is to 
 sleep all night outside the front door, 
 all large buildings in Russia, whether 
 public or private, being so guarded. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 OUR LAST DAY IN ST. PETERSBURG 
 
 — SEEING THE WINTER PALACE 
 
 — ON TO MOSCOW. 
 
 THIS chapter is likely to be a suc- 
 cession of adjectives, for the Winter 
 Palace is a marvellous place, and, in 
 its way as difficult to describe as the 
 Hermitage. A huge building of red 
 stucco, in which six thousand persons 
 have lived at one time ; some writer 
 speaks of the roof having been used 
 for colonists, who lived there with 
 their live stock in happy confusion. 
 The palace fronts the winter quay ; 
 in the centre is the imposing state 
 entrance, used for balls and court 
 festivities, and when the Emperor 
 blesses the Neva in the winter, this 
 entrance is thronged with officers, 
 
150 Land of the Viking. 
 
 mighty officials, and the most exclu- 
 sive of Russian nobility. 
 
 This gorgeous religious ceremonial 
 occurs during the festival of the 
 Epiphany, and is accompanied by 
 chanting choirs, tapers, and incense. 
 " The Emperor," Bayard Taylor 
 says, " performed his part bare- 
 headed and uncloaked in the freez- 
 ing air, finishing by descending the 
 steps of an improvised chapel and 
 well, and drinking the water from a 
 hole in the ice." Far and wide over 
 the frozen surface similar holes were 
 cut, where, during the remainder of 
 the day, priests officiated, and thou- 
 sands of the common people were 
 baptized by immersion. As they 
 generally came out covered with ice, 
 warm booths were provided for them 
 on the banks, where they thawed 
 themselves out, rejoicing that they 
 would now escape sickness or mis- 
 fortune for a year to come. Another 
 
Last Day in St. Petersburg. 151 
 
 very interesting ceremonial is in the 
 spring, when, after drinking a glass 
 of water from the Neva, the Emperor 
 declares the river open. 
 
 The immense palace is four stories 
 high, with a frontage of four hun- 
 dred and fifty and a depth of three 
 hundred and fifty feet. Its magnifi- 
 cent appointments surpassed all we 
 had seen. The pictures, filling nine 
 or ten galleries, are chiefly by native 
 artists, representing Russian victories, 
 with portraits of famous generals. In 
 the concert and banquet-halls are 
 gold, silver, and enamel dishes, which 
 have been presented by different 
 cities with bread and salt to the 
 Tsars. There are hundreds of these 
 superb articles, arranged on large 
 plush brackets, covering the spaces 
 at each end of these rooms. 
 
 The salon, decorated in white and 
 gold, audience-chamber, rotunda, 
 Peter the Great's throne-room, St. 
 
152 Land of the Viking. 
 
 George's room, and St. Nicholas Hall, 
 vie with each other in magnificence, 
 and are all very large. The private 
 chapel is especially ornate. The 
 palace also contains a church, dedi- 
 cated to a particularly holy Ikon, 
 said to have been painted by one of 
 the Apostles. We sat for a long 
 time in her Majesty's boudoir, and 
 the Madame played on the cabinet 
 piano used by the imperial lady 
 when in the Winter Palace, — which, 
 by the way, was rather tinny and out 
 of tune. The private apartments of 
 their Majesties are those used by 
 Nicholas I. and his consort, as the 
 reigning sovereign never uses the 
 rooms of his immediate predecessor. 
 The simple suite used by the late 
 Emperor is just as he left them ; in 
 a recess is the hard camp-bed, upon 
 which this unfortunate monarch 
 breathed his last. The elaborately 
 furnished apartments of the Duchess 
 
Last Day in St. Petersburg. 153 
 
 of Edinburgh are as they were before 
 her marriage, and we gazed at each 
 other in the mirror which reflected 
 her gorgeous bridal toilette ; her 
 concert grand piano was the best 
 instrument we tried in the palaces. 
 
 Connected with these apartments 
 is the private dining-room where the 
 dynamite explosion took place in 
 1880, and but for the tardy arrival 
 of Prince Alexander of Bulgaria, in 
 whose honor a dinner-party was being 
 given, the catastrophe might have 
 been more appalling in its results. 
 The conspirators calculated that 
 when the bomb exploded the dinner 
 would have just begun, but, provi- 
 dentially, the guest of the evening 
 was long in making his toilette, so 
 that it was fifteen or twenty minutes 
 past the appointed hour when the 
 Emperor, with his family, including 
 the Duchess of Edinburgh, and his 
 friends, was ready to enter the room, 
 
154 Land of the Viking. 
 
 and at that instant the terrific ex- 
 plosion took place by which eleven 
 guards on duty were mortally hurt 
 and over fifty soldiers and servants 
 seriously wounded. What a fearful 
 existence must be that of the Tsar 
 of all the Russias, never knowing 
 when he or his loved ones will be 
 attacked in the most dastardly man- 
 ner ! Surely no lasting good can 
 come of these terrible evidences of 
 nihilism, and granted that the abuses 
 of Russian despotism are awful, it 
 does not seem as if they could be 
 righted by deeds of violence to those 
 in authority. 
 
 The grand marble staircase and 
 entrance impressed us to such a de- 
 gree that we were obliged to sit 
 down and gaze about, feeling our- 
 selves lost in this immense hall. 
 " Pilly," said the Signorina, " how 
 does this all look when entertain- 
 ments are given ? " " Well, Miss," he 
 
Last Day in St. Petersburg. 155 
 
 said, " when it 's all furnished, that is, 
 lighted, carpeted, flowered, soldiered, 
 servanted, and guarded, there 's noth- 
 ing like it in Europe ; the uniforms 
 of the officers and gorgeous gowns 
 of the ladies can't be beat," and we 
 believed him. " Come this way," he 
 said, "and see her Imperial Majesty's 
 Pompeenian bath-room," which proved 
 to be too exquisite an apartment for 
 use. 
 
 Connected with the white and gold 
 salon is a large winter garden and 
 palm-house, with an extensive aviary, 
 and is the most enchanting spot of 
 all. Here Catherine resorted when 
 most wearied, and was diverted in 
 various ways. The large garden is 
 filled with rare plants, and the walks 
 about it are charming. A fountain 
 plashing and birds singing made us 
 long to rest in the quiet spot, but 
 there was too much to see, so on we 
 went. In the Empress' drawing-room 
 
156 Land of the Viking. 
 
 are pillars, mantles, vases, and cande- 
 labra of lapis-lazuli and malachite. 
 This is one of the suite used by her 
 Majesty when in the palace, which, 
 however, rarely occurs. When the 
 court is in Petersburg the Emperor 
 usually resides in the Anitchkoff 
 palace, on the Nevski, where he 
 lived as Tsarevitch. In the study of 
 Alexander II. are many gifts received 
 by him on the twenty-fifth anniver- 
 sary of his marriage — fine pictures, 
 silver ornaments, fancy work, screens, 
 chairs, and pillows sent from different 
 convents, all finely embroidered. The 
 doors of this palace are noticeable, 
 many of buhl, others with panels of 
 the rarest Sevres, and those of gilt, 
 silver, and bronze are carved. On 
 the top floor, not far from the apart- 
 ment of the Grand Duke Alexis, are 
 three large rooms filled with priceless 
 porcelain, Sevres, and Dresden in 
 profusion, and specimens of the 
 
Last Day in St. Petersburg. 1 5 7 
 
 rarest china and glass. We spent 
 hours wandering about this interest- 
 ing building, forgetful of lunch, 
 packing, and notes to be cashed at 
 the bank, for we were to leave St. 
 Petersburg in the evening, and it 
 was not to be expected that we 
 would be able to tear ourselves away 
 from the innumerable things we 
 wished to see until we were turned 
 out by the major-domo. The crown 
 jewels are no longer on exhibition, 
 being kept in a strong room on the 
 third floor of the palace. We saw 
 the door and the soldiers on guard, 
 but the priceless ornaments were 
 safely locked out of sight and reach ; 
 perhaps it was as well, as we were 
 satiated with magnificence. 
 
 How sorry I was to leave St. Pe- 
 tersburg. We saw a great deal, but 
 could have employed a month profit- 
 ably in sight-seeing. The traveller 
 going to Russia for the first time is 
 
158 Land of the Viking. 
 
 overwhelmed at the vast treasures of 
 every kind which have been accumu- 
 lated by Peter and his successors. It 
 seems as though in some respects 
 Russian civilization has reached its 
 highest point, as in no other Euro- 
 pean country has there been such 
 enormous expenditure for works of 
 art ; then, too, she has had the inex- 
 haustible treasures of the East to 
 draw upon. 
 
 A procession of three droskies 
 carried us to the station to take the 
 8 P.M. train for Moscow. Pilly went 
 in advance with the luggage, and 
 when we arrived our sleeping com- 
 partments were ready, and every 
 thing was systematically arranged by 
 this excellent courier. Through his 
 management we were admitted to 
 places that otherwise would have 
 been closed to us ; he can always be 
 found at the Grand Hotel, and seems 
 to be on good terms with everybody ; 
 
On to Moscow. 1 59 
 
 monks, priests, nuns, shopkeepers, 
 major domos, lackeys, policemen, and 
 drosky drivers seem to consider him 
 a privileged character, and to have 
 him for a guide was a great advan- 
 tage. Our hosts of the previous 
 evening said good-by to us after a 
 pleasant drive on the Nevski. 
 
 We found the sleeping carriages 
 luxurious ; they are built after the 
 style of the Mann boudoir car, but 
 with much finer fittings, the first 
 class being finished in mahogany and 
 brass, upholstered in brocaded pale- 
 blue plush ; some of the compart- 
 ments are for two, others accommo- 
 date four, and, being private, are to 
 my mind preferable to the sleepers 
 in America. In each car is a samo- 
 var, and one can have a fresh glass of 
 Russian tea at any moment. The 
 railroads are under the management 
 of the government and are in ex- 
 cellent condition, but the long trains 
 
1 60 Land of Ihe Viking. 
 
 do not make rapid time. At the 
 stations there is a peculiar method 
 of letting passengers know how long 
 the train will stop. Five minutes 
 before leaving a gong is rung con- 
 tinuously, finishing with one sharp 
 stroke ; three minutes latter this is 
 repeated, with two taps ; this is for 
 passengers to take their seats ; at 
 the last moment the ring is repeated, 
 finishing with three taps, and the 
 train is off. 
 
 We arrived at Moscow at eleven 
 the following morning, after a com- 
 fortable trip of fifteen hours. The 
 country is uninteresting, being level 
 and bare. The usual babel at the 
 station filled us with a sense of our 
 own helplessness, but spying a porter 
 from the Hotel Dussaux with English 
 letters on his cap, our troubles were 
 over. We expected to find railway 
 charges exorbitant in Russia, but 
 the price for first-class tickets is not 
 
On to Moscow. 1 6 1 
 
 high, and second-class is of course 
 proportionately lower. The amount 
 of checked luggage allowed each 
 passenger is limited, and the excess 
 charges appalling. So one should 
 be content with a limited supply of 
 gowns and bonnets, or else have 
 numerous satchels, there being an 
 abundance of room in the compart- 
 ments, and no extra charge for hand 
 luggage. The restaurants on the 
 Russian railroads are good, but one 
 must be endowed with superhuman 
 power to order a meal, as the lan- 
 guage is impossible to experiment 
 in ; happily much of the food is 
 placed on a large table where a 
 choice can be indicated by signs. 
 So no one need starve. The deli- 
 cious tea is very weak, which is for- 
 tunate, as the people drink it in 
 quantities and at all hours. 
 
 I have spoken of the railroads be- 
 longing to the government ; we were 
 
1 62 Land of the Viking. 
 
 told that Russia is the only country 
 where Cook has not been able to 
 establish a tourists' office, and no 
 tickets can be purchased at the sta- 
 tion until within a half hour of start- 
 ing. The fare from St. Petersburg to 
 Moscow including sleeper ticket is 
 thirty rubles or $15.00, the distance 
 being about four hundred miles. 
 The road was built during the reign 
 of Nicholas I., who ordered a line 
 to be surveyed between the old 
 and new capitals. The one submit- 
 ted for his approval was circuitous, 
 passing through many large towns, 
 making the distance between eight 
 and nine hundred miles. The Tsar 
 was enraged, and, taking a map and 
 a ruler, drew a straight line, say- 
 ing that was to be the route, and 
 of course his orders were obeyed, 
 regardless of obstacles and expense. 
 Moscow was the capital of the 
 vast empire until the time of Peter, 
 
On to Moscow. 1 63 
 
 who transferred the imperial resi- 
 dence to St. Petersburg. What disas- 
 ters have overtaken the wonderful 
 old city ! Three conflagrations in 
 the sixteenth century, the terri- 
 ble plague in 1771, and finally the 
 great sacrifice in 18 12 by the Mus- 
 covites, who set fire to their beloved 
 city sooner than have it fall into the 
 hands of the hated French. For 
 three days and nights the fire blazed 
 and the inhabitants fled, taking with 
 them as many of their belongings as 
 they could carry. The Metropolitan 
 took with his own hands three sacred 
 images, the Virgins of Iberia, Vladi- 
 mir, and Smolensk. 
 
 Napoleon and his army advanced 
 to the Sparrow Hills, whence they 
 had their first view of this Ori- 
 ental-looking city, with its count- 
 less domes, spires, green roofs, and 
 gay coloring, making a bizarre effect 
 in the glowing sunlight. No wonder 
 
164 Land of the Viking. 
 
 the wearied soldiers forgot their suf- 
 ferings when the splendor of the city 
 burst upon their gaze, and they felt 
 they were to be the possessors of all 
 the barbaric magnificence, and with 
 renewed enthusiam they shouted : 
 " On to Moscow ! on to Moscow ! " 
 The story of the disastrous retreat 
 of the French is well known, but I 
 never realized the horror of the 
 winter march until the statistics were 
 told me ; — four hundred and fifty 
 thousand men were sacrificed in that 
 awful campaign ! How humiliating 
 it must have been to the proud com- 
 mander. When he reached Moscow 
 and found the city deserted, he took 
 up his residence in the Kremlin, but 
 was obliged to flee to the Petrovski 
 palace, two or three miles distant, 
 until the conflagration ceased. His 
 soldiers served him faithfully, but he 
 basely deserted the army in its great- 
 est need, leaving behind him com- 
 
On to Moscow. 165 
 
 promising papers which were discov- 
 ered in the pillow-slip on his iron 
 camp-bed, now standing in the 
 Treasury of the Kremlin. 
 
 The long drive from the station to 
 the Hotel Dussaux, over rough pave- 
 ments, through narrow streets, past 
 innumerable vodki shops and dingy- 
 buildings, made us feel as if we were 
 out of Europe. Moscow differs 
 greatly from St. Petersburg ; it is dis- 
 tinctly an Eastern city. The poorly 
 dressed people seem more like Asi- 
 atics, their sheep-skin garments look- 
 ing as if they had never been new, 
 and the moujiks seemed blacker, 
 more unkempt, and of a lower class 
 than in St. Petersburg. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 THE WONDERS OF THE KREMLIN. 
 
 RUSSIA is a cross between Oriental 
 barbarism and European civilization, 
 and Moscow represents much of the 
 former element. There is a strange 
 fascination about the old capital, 
 where we found even more to see 
 than in St. Petersburg ; but I will 
 only refer to the principal sights. 
 
 The Kremlin ! Ah, it is a world 
 in itself ! The meaning of the word 
 is not absolutely clear, but it is sup- 
 posed to be of Tartar origin, signify- 
 ing fortress. The walls, with five 
 gates, are two miles in circumference, 
 and the enclosure is crowded with 
 churches, palaces, towers, arsenal, 
 and treasury. Let us enter by the 
 Redeemers Gate, having a miracu- 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 167 
 
 lous Ikon of our Saviour suspended 
 above it, which French soldiers and 
 Tartar hordes unsuccessfully endeav- 
 ored to destroy. This is a holy en- 
 trance, and all men must uncover 
 their heads when passing through 
 the archway, and even the Emperor 
 is expected to conform to this un- 
 written law. 
 
 First, to the treasury, — a huge 
 building filled with valuable and 
 rare objects : old armor of every de- 
 scription, ornamented in the most 
 costly manner ; fire-arms, standards, 
 captured flags and colors, including 
 those of the Streltsi, Peter's guard, 
 who, instigated by Sophia, sister of 
 the Tsar, revolted, but were crushed 
 by Peter, who, with his own hand, 
 beheaded twenty of the rebels. Not- 
 withstanding her protestations to the 
 contrary, Sophia was declared guilty 
 by Peter, and incarcerated in a con- 
 vent for the remainder of her days. 
 
1 68 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Some of her favorites were hanged 
 outside the window of her cell, and 
 the bodies left there for three months. 
 The round room of the treasury con- 
 tains a great number of crowns, 
 thrones, orbs, sceptres, and swords. 
 Of two superb Polish thrones, one 
 has allegorical carving in ivory ; an- 
 other, presented by the Shah of 
 Persia to Ivan the Terrible, is stud- 
 ded with ten thousand turquoises ; 
 but the limit of lavish expenditure is 
 reached in the throne used by the 
 Empress at her coronation. It is a 
 mass of precious stones, including 
 eight hundred and seventy-five dia- 
 monds, and twelve hundred and 
 twenty-three rubies of the finest 
 water. The crown of Peter is cov- 
 ered with rarest jewels, as are those 
 of the kingdoms of Kazan, Astra- 
 khan, and Siberia. The most gor- 
 geous one, however, is that made for 
 Peter's wife, Catherine I., which has 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 1 69 
 
 more than twenty-five hundred dia- 
 monds, and myriads of other gems. 
 Swords and sceptres, all studded with 
 precious stones, made our eyes weary 
 with their glitter ; it was the same 
 old story. We were interested in the 
 curious double-seated throne, made 
 for Peter and his idiotic half-brother, 
 who was crowned jointly with him. 
 This throne has a concealed recess 
 behind, where the unscrupulous but 
 brilliant Sophia used to sit, in order 
 to prompt her brother Ivan on im- 
 portant occasions. 
 
 In this room are large cases, con- 
 taining the coronation robes of the 
 Tsars and Tsaritas from Catherine 
 I. to the present reigning sovereigns. 
 They are all elaborate, but the mag- 
 nificent mantles worn at the last 
 coronation surpass the rest. They 
 are four yards long, of cloth of gold, 
 bordered with ermine, and having 
 the imperial double-headed eagle of 
 
1 70 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Russia elaborately wrought in the 
 centre. Her Majesty's dress, of cloth 
 of silver, with shoes of the same ma- 
 terial, must be worth a fabulous sum. 
 Robes of state of the Metropolitans, 
 velvet and cloth of gold, are all gayly 
 decorated. In a large room upstairs 
 are many stands, filled with an enor- 
 mous collection of gold and silver 
 ornaments and household utensils of 
 every description, not Russian only, 
 but from all European countries, — 
 jugs, cups, salvers, candlesticks of 
 curious old designs, of the highest 
 value ; some superb articles having 
 been presented by the ambassadors 
 of the Stuart kings. 
 
 Not being satisfied with the score 
 of palaces belonging to her, Cather- 
 ine the Great planned a new one, a 
 quarter of a mile in length, to be 
 erected within the Kremlin, and built 
 in the most costly manner, but she 
 died shortly after the corner-stone 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 171 
 
 was laid, and the project was aban- 
 doned. An immense model of this 
 stands in one of the rooms. We 
 greatly enjoyed the extensive collec- 
 tion of old carriages. A huge gilded 
 one with painted panels was pre- 
 sented to the Tsar Boris Godunuf, 
 by Queen Elizabeth ; a miniature 
 vehicle with mica windows was used 
 by Peter when a child ; and one be- 
 longing to the Empress Elizabeth 
 was used as a dining-room during 
 her journeys between Petersburg and 
 Moscow ; it accommodated twelve 
 or fourteen people. Many others, of 
 gilt, with painted panels, are too 
 numerous to mention. Here also is 
 the camp bed to which allusion was 
 made in connection with Napoleon's 
 base desertion of his army, and which 
 contained the compromising papers. 
 The tower of Ivan is five stories 
 high, having in each story a chime of 
 bells, the finest being at the top. 
 
172 Land of the Viking. 
 
 The view from this cupola is one of 
 the most striking in Europe ; the 
 climb is hard, and the four hundred 
 and fifty steps seem interminable, 
 but the reward is great. The river 
 Moskwa, numerous buildings within 
 the Kremlin, countless spires, towers, 
 and minarets of silver and gold, the 
 glorious green fields and country be- 
 yond the city boundaries, make it a 
 matchless vision. Napoleon and his 
 marshals saw the striking panorama 
 from this spot, and it is not surprising 
 that he was strengthened in his de- 
 termination to own it all ; but it was 
 not to be. 
 
 The great palace is a queer con- 
 glomeration of different styles of 
 architecture, various additions hav- 
 ing been made. It now contains 
 seven hundred rooms ; the modern 
 portion is a repetition of the gor- 
 geousness we had seen elsewhere, — 
 ball-rooms, state bedrooms and dress- 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin, i j$ 
 
 ing-rooms, salons filled with a pro- 
 fusion of the rare Siberian minerals, 
 and enormous crystal vases and can- 
 delabra from the imperial glass-works 
 at St. Petersburg ; marble rooms, halls 
 of St. George, Alexander Nevski, St. 
 Andrew, and St. Catherine. The 
 latter, where the coronation draw- 
 ing-room is held, has superb pillars, 
 mantels, and tables of malachite ; 
 the inlaid floors are of finest wood, 
 in striking designs. The large ban- 
 quet-hall, where the coronation feast 
 is held, has a dais in the centre, 
 supporting a velvet-covered tower, 
 on which the priceless gold and silver 
 plate of the treasury is displayed on 
 these brilliant occasions. The floor 
 covering was made at different con- 
 vents, in squares of a yard each, with 
 arabesques of different colored cloth, 
 appliqu£ed with gold thread, making 
 a Moorish effect, in harmony with the 
 superb decoration of the room. High 
 
174 Land of the Viking. 
 
 up in the wall, opposite the imperial 
 throne, is a broad window opening 
 into another dining-room on the next 
 floor for the use of the Emperor's 
 relatives and friends, etiquette ex- 
 cluding all but crowned heads from 
 the lower room. What a superb 
 effect this room must present at the 
 feast, with its fine ornamentation and 
 all the lavish display of the Russian 
 court. Four private chapels are 
 within the palace walls, and all are 
 elaborate in their decoration. 
 
 The most interesting apartments 
 are those on the Terem, formerly 
 used by the Tsaritas and their chil- 
 dren. This antique part of the palace 
 is four-storied, the first containing 
 six rooms, but the number gradually 
 diminishes until there is but one at 
 the top. This queer place is reached 
 by narrow, winding, carved stairs, 
 and is over four hundred years old. 
 The doors of iron fretwork and 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 1 75 
 
 the low arched ceilings are highly- 
 colored. Among the grotesque fur- 
 niture is a carved bed, which be- 
 longed to the grandfather of Peter 
 the Great, with embroidered cover 
 worked by Peter's sister, and is hung 
 with Chinese silks, presented three 
 hundred years since by ambassa- 
 dors from the Celestial Empire. The 
 chapel is quite dark and nearly 
 empty. The profuse decorations in 
 the Terem seem to be a mixture of 
 Moorish and Byzantine, the colors 
 being still bright. 
 
 Standing at the foot of the famous 
 red staircase, what reminders we had 
 of some of the bloodiest deeds of 
 Russian history ! Now it is only 
 used by the Emperor at his corona- 
 tion, and guards are stationed at the 
 top and bottom to prevent ordinary, 
 every-day mortals from even putting 
 a foot on these stairs. It was here 
 that Ivan the Terrible committed one 
 
1 76 Land of the Viking. 
 
 of his most atrocious deeds. A trusty 
 soldier was sent with a letter from 
 one of the leaders of his army, and 
 while hearing the letter read the 
 Tsar transfixed the messenger by 
 piercing his foot with an iron-pointed 
 staff, upon which his Majesty leaned 
 his entire weight. Down this same 
 stair-case was thrown the body of the 
 false Demetrius, and during the revolt 
 of the Streltsi many noblemen and 
 officers were here cut in pieces by the 
 infuriated rebels ; and when Napoleon 
 took possession of the Kremlin he 
 proudly ascended these stairs ; so, 
 naturally, we felt a keen interest in 
 this historic spot. Ivan did not re- 
 pent of his wickedness until a short 
 time before his death, when, taking 
 monastic vows, he endeavored to 
 atone for his many sins ; but one 
 cannot help being regretful that the 
 change in his life did not occur until 
 after he had killed his own son with 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin, i J? 
 
 a blow from his staff. His cruelty 
 developed after the death of his 
 dearly loved young wife, whose pow- 
 erful influence had always been for 
 good. 
 
 After seeing the palace, treasury, 
 and tower, we were glad to rest be- 
 fore driving to the Sparrow Hills to 
 dine. From the veranda of the res- 
 taurant the superb view was a reve- 
 lation ; a thunder-storm, followed by 
 a rainbow shining through the haze 
 over the picturesque city, made a 
 charming vision. To see the Krem- 
 lin thoroughly would require weeks 
 of constant visiting ; we were forced 
 to be content with much less time, 
 but saw most of the churches within 
 the walls. The Cathedral of the As- 
 sumption, where the Tsars have been 
 crowned from the time of Ivan the 
 Terrible, is crowded with sacred 
 paintings, shrines, golden banners, 
 presenting a gorgeous appearance. 
 
178 Land of the Viking. 
 
 In one of the small chapels are many- 
 sacred relics, among them a piece of 
 Christ's robe, a nail of the true cross, 
 hand of St. Andrew, and several 
 jaws and hands of other saints. The 
 superstitious people believe implicit- 
 ly in the genuineness of these arti- 
 cles. Among the ecclesiastical treas- 
 ures filling the sacristy is a portion 
 of the true cross, set in a gold cross 
 studded with diamonds, and was 
 worn by Peter the Great at Pultava. 
 The cathedral has five huge domes ; 
 its walls are gilded, and on the screen 
 is hung a miraculous picture of the 
 Virgin, covered entirely with rarest 
 jewels, worth over a quarter of a 
 million of dollars. In one of the 
 silver shrines reposes the body of a 
 priest who suffered the death penalty 
 for his temerity in publicly reproving 
 Ivan the Terrible for his many crimes ; 
 for which the church canonized him. 
 What a splendid scene the corona- 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 1 79 
 
 tion must be! The description by 
 Dean Stanley is the most interesting 
 and complete of any I have read, 
 and he explains many of the symbol- 
 ical acts ; the Emperor himself as- 
 sumes the mantle, crown, and scep- 
 tre, as he is the head of the church 
 as well as of the state. 
 
 The church in the wood is a small 
 building not open to the public. It 
 is one of the oldest churches in Mos- 
 cow, and was built in the midst of 
 the woods which formerly occupied 
 a portion of the Kremlin enclosure. 
 During Napoleon's stay in Moscow 
 it was used as a stable, but is now 
 restored. The Tsars are baptized 
 and married in the Cathedral of the 
 Annunciation, which is filled with 
 the regulation lamps, shrines, fres- 
 cos, and Ikons ; the floor is notice- 
 ably beautiful, being paved with jas- 
 per and agate ; but the relics in the 
 sacristy are numerous, and seem to 
 
180 Land of the Viking. 
 
 us almost more impossible than any 
 others ; the principal ones are a por- 
 tion of the sponge on which the vin- 
 egar was offered to Christ, a portion 
 of the crown of thorns, and a drop 
 or two of His sacred blood. It was 
 horrible to me to look at these highly- 
 prized treasures ; there seemed to be 
 an element of sacrilege in the idea, 
 and yet the people firmly believe in 
 them. 
 
 In the cathedral of the Archangel 
 Michael are buried many of the Tsars 
 of the Ruric and early Romanoff dy- 
 nasties ; the tomb of Ivan the Terrible 
 is covered with a black pall, showing 
 that he died a monk. One of the 
 Ikons contains a drop of the blood 
 of John the Baptist, which looked 
 like a speck of ink. An object of 
 great interest is the tomb of young 
 Demetrius, son of Ivan the Terrible, 
 who was torn from his watchful 
 mother and assassinated when six 
 
"TSAR-KOLOKOL," OR KING OF BELLS, KREMLIN, MOSCOW. 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 1 8 1 
 
 years old by order of Boris Godu- 
 nuf, who became Tsar. His portrait, 
 handkerchief, some toys, coins, blood- 
 stained shirt, and the murderous knife 
 by which he met his death, are all 
 placed near his tomb, and beneath 
 the glass top can be seen a half inch 
 of his forehead, and scores of devo- 
 tees continually kiss the spot of glass 
 directly above the uncovered bone, 
 or whatever it is now ; it resembles a 
 scrap of untanned leather. 
 
 Well does the "Tsar Kolokol" 
 deserve its name " King of Bells " ; 
 it is huge, and we walked around it, 
 sat beside it, gazed at it, and won- 
 dered at it. The figures on the out- 
 side are of the Empress Anne and 
 Alexis. Its height is over twenty-four 
 feet, its circumference nearly sixty- 
 eight, and its weight two hundred 
 tons. It stands on terra firma at the 
 foot of the tower of Ivan, and a large 
 piece broken out of one side stands 
 
1 82 Land of the J 'iking . 
 
 near ; its clapper, lying on the ground, 
 looked as if it would require steam 
 power to move it, and perhaps if 
 rung the bell could be heard all over 
 Europe. 
 
 The sacristy was the last place we 
 visited in the Kremlin, and, wearied 
 with gorgeousness, we sat on the 
 stairs to wait for the coming of the 
 patriarch in charge, who was lunch- 
 ing and would not be hurried. He 
 was an imperious-looking man, a high 
 church dignitary, and member of an 
 aristocratic family, so we waited with 
 patience. Rich sakkos. the Metro- 
 politan's robes, fill two rooms : one, 
 superbly embroidered, belonged to 
 the [Metropolitan Peter, who lived in 
 1300; another, of crimson velvet, is 
 covered with pearls ; others heavily 
 embroidered in gold and studded 
 with precious stones are gorgeous. 
 But the seven mitres surpassed all in 
 richness and beauty; four belonged 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. 183 
 
 to the famous patriarch Nicon, and 
 are covered with large diamonds, ru- 
 bies, emeralds, sapphires, and pearls. 
 In this sacristy is prepared every two 
 or three years during Lent the holy 
 Chrism, used in baptism in the Rus- 
 so-Greek Church ; also the emperors 
 are anointed with it when crowned, 
 and it is used in the consecration 
 of churches. It is prepared by the 
 Metropolitan of Moscow, assisted by 
 the highest dignitaries of the church. 
 A large vase kept in a glass case con- 
 tained the first Chrism sent to Russia 
 from the East, on the introduction of 
 Christianity into the empire. It is 
 an exquisite object and made of 
 mother-of-pearl. A few drops are 
 taken out and a portion of the new 
 Chrism put in, so that some of the 
 original " sacred oil " is always there. 
 This Chrism is composed of some 
 thirty ingredients, — oils, spices, gums, 
 white wine, and many other things, 
 
184 Land of the Viking. 
 
 all made holy by the drop or two of 
 the portion taken from the vase. An 
 enormous silver caldron and two ket- 
 tles given by Catherine II. are kept in 
 the sacristy and into which the sacred 
 mixture is poured when prepared ; 
 then the sixteen large silver jars pre- 
 sented by Paul I. are filled, and dif- 
 ferent bishops send for small portions 
 of it when required in their dioceses. 
 The ladles, sieves, and every thing 
 used for making the Chrism are of 
 sterling silver. At the baptism of 
 children the priest crosses with a 
 small camel's-hair brush or feather 
 dipped in the Chrism, the mouth, 
 eyes, ears, hands, and feet ; " the eyes 
 are anointed in order that the child 
 may only see good, the ears that 
 they may admit only what is pure, 
 the mouth that he may speak as be- 
 comes a Christian, the hands that 
 they may do no wrong, and the feet 
 that they may tread the path of vir- 
 
The Wonders of the Kremlin. i85 
 
 tue " ; — good theoretically, but prac- 
 tically impossible. 
 
 Leaving the synodal building we 
 bowed profoundly to the dignitary in 
 charge, who vouchsafed us the least 
 possible acknowledgment, looking the 
 while as though he considered us far 
 beneath his august notice. How we 
 longed for Pilly, who succeeded in 
 making the most austere custodians 
 affable. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 SIGHTS OUTSIDE THE KREMLIN- 
 ADIEU TO RUSSIA. 
 
 ONE morning during our stay 
 in Moscow we drove early to 
 the Nova Devitchi Monastyr, or 
 " New Maidens Convent," to see a 
 procession of priests, monks, and 
 novitiates, it being the feast day of 
 the convenes patron saint. It was 
 here that Sophia was imprisoned, 
 died, and was buried, and being a 
 long distance from the city and 
 within high walls, she could not 
 have had much diversion. We drove 
 over the roughest of pavements, 
 through narrow streets, passed great 
 churches, some standing next dirty 
 vodki shops or miserable squalid 
 homes, and began to realize how 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 187 
 
 great an area Moscow covers. Crowds 
 were going in our direction, some in 
 droskies, but mostly on foot, peas- 
 ants in blouses with matted hair, 
 women with babies and children of 
 all ages, boys with lunch in dirty 
 paper bags, — all hurrying to keep in 
 advance of the procession. 
 
 When within a mile of our desti- 
 nation, we came upon tents with 
 tables, samovars, cups and saucers, 
 and all kinds of untempting-looking 
 food. There must have been accom- 
 modation for at least twenty thou- 
 sand people. As our carriage could 
 not be driven within a quarter of a 
 mile of the gates on account of the 
 density of the crowd, we walked with 
 the mob, and while pushing our way 
 to catch a glimpse of the procession, 
 we saw enough of peasant life to 
 satisfy us forever. Such dirt, such 
 smells, cannot be imagined. I can 
 see them now, — the women in ragged 
 
1 88 Land of the Viking. 
 
 old frocks, with dirty kerchiefs on 
 their heads, their coarse face un- 
 washed, and long hair uncombed ; 
 the men in sheepskin ; the children 
 in, — well, next to nothing. Nuns 
 were going about, and, finally, after 
 a weary time of waiting, the proces- 
 sion came in sight. Among the 
 standards carried by the men were 
 one hundred superb golden banners 
 belonging to the Cathedral of.-the 
 Assumption, which were so heavy 
 that their bearers were forced to rest 
 every twenty or thirty steps. 
 
 It was impossible to find room to 
 enter the church where service was 
 being held, so without waiting to see 
 the entire procession, we wended our 
 way back to the cabs and drove to 
 St. Saviour's, the newest of Russia's 
 cathedrals. Erected as a thank-offer- 
 ing for deliverance from the French, 
 it was proposed to build it on the 
 summit of Sparrow Hill, the spot 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 1 89 
 
 where Napoleon had his first view of 
 die city, and some of the foundation 
 was laid, when it was discovered that 
 the sandy soil would not support the 
 vast edifice, and the unfortunate 
 architect was exiled to the mines of 
 Siberia, which seems an awful injus- 
 tice in these enlightened days ; but 
 the blame had to fall on some one, 
 and this wretched man's life was 
 b-irrhted, and he was forever cut off 
 from civilization and his kindred. 
 Would this have happened in any 
 other country ? By the way, a woman 
 whose husband is exiled to Siberia 
 may consider herself a widow, and, if, 
 she chooses, can marry again, but 
 some, many indeed, go with their 
 unfortunate loved ones and share all 
 the horrors of their sad lot. What a 
 living death it must be ! Although 
 every one knew that the punishment 
 of Russian offenders was severe, it 
 has only been since the publication 
 
I go Land of the Viking. 
 
 of Mr. Kennan's series of brilliant 
 papers that the civilized world has 
 been made acquainted with the ap- 
 palling facts, and yet to us travelling 
 as we did so comfortably without 
 trouble and seeing only the bright 
 side of every thing, it did not seem 
 possible that these abuses could 
 exist. 
 
 In its way, St. Saviour's is as won- 
 derful as St. Isaac's, to which it pre- 
 sents a strong contrast. It is of 
 course built in the shape of a Greek 
 cross, — a mass of pure white marble 
 and glittering gold dazzles one's 
 eyes. The surrounding grounds are 
 laid out elaborately, and flowers and 
 shrubs were in luxuriant bloom when 
 we saw it. Standing on quite an 
 eminence, it can be seen from any 
 part of the city, and has a new, fresh 
 look, quite at variance with the other 
 churches, and is kept scrupulously 
 clean. Standing within the vast 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 1 9 1 
 
 building, which will hold seven thou- 
 sand persons, we felt ourselves lost in 
 immensity. In the central dome is a 
 remarkable and, to me, sacrilegious 
 representation of the Trinity. God 
 the Father is in the person of a be- 
 nevolent-looking, elderly gentleman, 
 the Son a beautiful child sitting 
 upon his knee, and the Holy Ghost 
 descending in the form of a dove. It 
 was rather a shock to see a picture of 
 the Almighty, and we obeyed the im- 
 pulse to leave it. 
 
 The walls are covered with rare 
 paintings by eminent Russian artists, 
 representing different saints, patri- 
 archs, and apostles, and, of course, 
 Alexander Nevski. On the Ikonastas 
 the pictures are by Neff, and on the 
 altar are some by Verestchagin, 
 which are remarkably fine. All the 
 artistic work is of high merit, and 
 worthy of careful study. The gor- 
 geous royal stand has beautifully 
 
192 Land of the Viking. 
 
 carved marble chairs, upholstered in 
 cloth of gold, for the use of their 
 Majesties ; and the canopy is richly 
 embroidered with the imperial arms. 
 There are various Siberian minerals 
 in pillars, floors, shrines, and candle- 
 sticks. The galleries on either side of 
 the altar are approached by stair- 
 cases, with superb gilt balustrades ; 
 the gold and enamel candlesticks 
 are especially fine, being large and 
 wrought in curious artistic designs. 
 The music on Sunday was glorious, 
 but not quite equal to St. Isaac's ; 
 that could not be expected. During 
 the service the procession of arch- 
 bishop, priests, and deacons was 
 very imposing; clad in gorgeous robes 
 of cloth of gold and heavily em- 
 broidered velvet, crowned with gem- 
 studded mitres, their heavy coarse 
 faces seemed in strange contrast. 
 
 Just outside the Kremlin stands 
 the Cathedral of St. Basil the Beati- 
 
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Sights Outside the Kremlin. 193 
 
 fied, one of the most remarkable 
 churches in Russia. It was erected 
 by Ivan the Terrible, who was so 
 delighted with the building that he 
 ordered the architect's eyes put out, 
 in order that he never could repeat 
 the design. Certainly this cathedral is 
 the most grotesque, impossible-look- 
 ing building we saw. It has eleven 
 chapels, in each of which service is 
 annually held, in honor of the anni- 
 versary of its patron saint. It is a 
 rambling, queer, many-corridored old 
 place, decorated within and without 
 in the most glaring colors. Each of 
 the eleven chapels is surmounted by 
 a dome, no two being of the same 
 color or design ; the architecture 
 might be Tartar Byzantine, or, in 
 fact, any thing. No accurate idea 
 can be formed of its striking appear- 
 ance from the accompanying uncol- 
 ored illustration. Heavy chains and 
 crosses, worn for penance by St. Ba- 
 
194 Land of the Viking. 
 
 sil, to whom the cathedral is dedi- 
 cated, are suspended above his tomb. 
 The chapel dedicated to the Iberian 
 Mother is the most holy of Russia's 
 shrines, aud contains a miraculous 
 Ikon of the Iberian Mother of God, 
 brought from Mount Athos in the 
 seventeenth century. The people 
 believe the scar on the right cheek 
 to be the result of a wound inflicted 
 by an infidel, and which drew blood. 
 On the head is a brilliant crown of 
 diamonds and a net of rare pearls, 
 while scattered all over the picture 
 are gorgeous jewels. The chapel is 
 visited daily by thousands of devo- 
 tees, each leaving an offering, mak- 
 ing the aggregate an enormous 
 amount ; much money also being 
 earned by taking the " Mother " to 
 visit sick people, and in a superb 
 coach, drawn by six horses, and at- 
 tended by liveried servants, the Ikon 
 drives about in state. Whenever the 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 195 
 
 Emperor visits Moscow he drives to 
 the Iberian chapel, and, leaving his 
 carriage, prays for some little time 
 before going to the Kremlin. It 
 seems as if this must constitute a 
 strong link between Tsar and people, 
 for his Majesty's devotions are car- 
 ried on before the sacred Ikon in 
 the same way as those of the hum- 
 blest Moujik. 
 
 Outside the Kremlin walls is the 
 Katai Gorod, or Chinese town, having 
 six gates. Within are many interest- 
 ing buildings, the Gostonni Dvor, or 
 Great Bazaar, being the largest, and 
 which monopolizes most of the trade. 
 It is an enormous building, filled with 
 small shops and passages bewildering 
 to strangers ; the merchants are very 
 shrewd, and, of course, ask exorbi- 
 tant prices for their wares, and one 
 needs to be very careful in making 
 purchases. To us the shops were 
 less attractive than in St. Peters- 
 
196 Land of the Viking. 
 
 burg, although the jeweller's work 
 was of the best. One of our most 
 delightful experiences in Moscow was 
 a visit to the private picture-gallery 
 of a wealthy merchant, whose unpro- 
 nounceable name I have quite for- 
 gotten. We went with the expectation 
 of seeing a few good pictures, but 
 found a large gallery of eight or nine 
 rooms filled with gems. It was there 
 I first saw the work of that remark- 
 ably clever, versatile artist, Vasili 
 Verestchagin. His incidents in the 
 Russo-Turkish war filled us with hor- 
 ror, and certainly he paints as realis- 
 tically as is possible. Our guide told 
 us that he had incurred the Emperor's 
 displeasure, on account of his truth- 
 ful portrayal of terrible scenes during 
 the last campaign, but I doubt the 
 truth of the rumor, as we did not 
 hear it corroborated by any reliable 
 person. 
 
 A large number of charming works 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 197 
 
 by Makoffsky, the painter of the 
 well-known " Russian Wedding " and 
 •' Choosing the Bride/' represent dif- 
 ferent phases of Russian life. A St. 
 Petersburg gamin attracted us great- 
 ly, being admirably done and full of 
 spirit. Behind a curtain hangs a pic- 
 ture of Ivan the Terrible killing his 
 own son. Not knowing what we 
 were to see, we casually strolled tow- 
 ards the alcove ; but in the dimness, 
 the blood-curdling sight made us 
 leave the locality speedily. Among 
 the best of the collection is one of a 
 third-class railway-carriage filled with 
 convicts en route to Siberia. The train 
 has stopped at a way-station ; pigeons 
 are picking up bits of bread thrown 
 from the car windows by some sad, 
 sweet-faced children, who are evident- 
 ly accompanying their parents to 
 that terrible country. Standing be- 
 hind the children are the exiles, who 
 for the moment have forgotten their 
 
198 Land of the Viking. 
 
 misery and blighted hopes, and are 
 amusedly watching the children's en- 
 joyment derived from giving scraps 
 to the birds, possibly parting with 
 food necessary for their own nour- 
 ishment. The picture is strangely 
 pathetic, and one cannot help im- 
 agining a look of envy in the faces 
 of the condemned ones, who, seeing 
 the birds are free, would fain share 
 their sense of liberty. The marine 
 painter, Aivazofski, has great pow- 
 er, and the specimens of his work we 
 had previously seen prepared us for 
 enjoying those belonging to this gal- 
 lery. " The Black Sea," a dreary 
 stretch of angry water, fascinated us, 
 and u A Shipwreck/' with wonderful 
 light from a rainbow, filled us with a 
 sense of awe. Many studies and 
 ideal heads fill two rooms ; also we 
 liked some pictures of Cairo and 
 Alexandria. It was a most enjoya- 
 ble morning, and we wandered from 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 199 
 
 room to room until the hour for 
 closing the gallery forced us to go 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Of the Troitsa Monastery, with its 
 twelve churches filled with priceless 
 treasures of every description, I have 
 not space to write ; but I must refer 
 to the catacombs in the hermitage 
 belonging to the monastery, filled 
 with human beings living in total 
 solitude, having vowed never again 
 to look upon light of day or face of 
 mankind. Now, what possible good 
 can they do themselves or the world 
 by this course ? This monastery, 
 founded in 1342, has an enormous 
 revenue, and is visited by over one 
 hundred thousand devout pilgrims 
 annually. The Simonof Monastery, 
 several convents and museums, are 
 all of great interest to strangers, and 
 the longer one remains in Moscow 
 the more one is overwhelmed at the 
 amount of sight-seeing there is to be 
 
200 Land of the Viking. 
 
 done. Dining at a different restau- 
 rant each evening, we found meals 
 were very good, well served, and 
 quite inexpensive ; most of the wait- 
 ers were dressed in spotless white- 
 linen suits. Nearly all the restau- 
 rants are provided with a large 
 orchestrion ; some being very loud 
 played national airs joyously. 
 
 The Romanoff House, in the Katai 
 Gorod, gives one an accurate idea of 
 Russian life hundreds of years since ; 
 the interior is in the style of dwell- 
 ing-houses in the sixteenth century, 
 it having been sacked by the French 
 and rebuilt, but the original walls 
 remain. Michael, the founder of the 
 Romanoff dynasty, was born here, 
 where many of his belongings and 
 curious souvenirs have been pre- 
 served. It is a queer, four-storied, 
 highly decorated building ; in the 
 basement are cellars for wine, beer, 
 and various provisions ; the low, 
 
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Sights Outside the Kremlin. 201 
 
 arched ceilings of the upper story- 
 are gayly colored ; the doors were 
 purposely built very low, so that 
 ambassadors and others entering the 
 Tsar's presence were obliged to make 
 a profound obeisance, or failing to do 
 this, received a blow on the head 
 from the archway. The largest room 
 is the royal chapel, with Gothic roof 
 ornamented in odd devices ; in the 
 walls are many secret recesses for the 
 concealment of treasures. An old 
 four-post bedstead and brocade-cov- 
 ered benches complete the furnish- 
 ings of the bed-chamber, where the 
 ceilings and walls are of carved wood. 
 The quaint cut of the Tsar's shirt, 
 and Tsarita's night-dress, and the 
 clothing worn by Michael when a 
 child, as well as in manhood, were of 
 great interest ; but the toys in the 
 nursery of the Terem cradles, prim- 
 ers and dolls, we coveted as curios ; 
 certainly a child must have longed 
 
202 Land of the Viking. 
 
 for amusement to have been satisfied 
 with these grotesque imitations. 
 Some very old and valuable Ikons, 
 much family plate of curious designs, 
 tile stoves and writing utensils similar 
 to those used in England in the thir- 
 teenth and fourteenth centuries, at. 
 tracted our notice, and I felt as if we 
 were far away from this prosperous 
 nineteenth century while lingering 
 among these quaint relics of bygone 
 times. 
 
 The Signorina and the Madame 
 drove to the Petrovski palace and 
 park, three miles beyond the city 
 limit. It was here Napoleon took 
 refuge when the conflagration forced 
 him to flee from the city ; and before 
 the Tsar's coronation he and his 
 suite reside here. This is the only 
 palace which is not crowded with 
 ornaments, and in its plainness and 
 simplicity it presents a striking and 
 not agreeable contrast to the gor- 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 203 
 
 geousness of the rest. The race- 
 course in the park is a favorite resort 
 in summer ; but the bad pavements 
 and narrow, dirty streets did not 
 create a favorable impression on the 
 indefatigable sight-seers. 
 
 We spent Sunday afternoon at the 
 Foundling Hospital, that enormous 
 institution founded by Catherine the 
 Great. Being August, the main 
 building was empty, as in the sum- 
 mer the babies and nurses live in 
 small cottages, of which there must 
 be forty or fifty within the grounds. 
 Think of fifteen hundred babies 
 under two months old ! What a 
 harrowing sight ! The day of our 
 visit sixty had been received, and 
 the average is fifteen thousand an- 
 nually. The only questions asked 
 are : " Has the child been baptized ? " 
 and "What is its name and age?" 
 They are publicly brought in, their 
 names entered in a book, and a cor- 
 
204 Land of the Viking. 
 
 responding ticket is attached to the 
 infant ; then it is carefully bathed in 
 a copper tub lined with flannel, vac- 
 cinated, and, if perfectly healthy, 
 sent into a ward to be given in 
 charge of one of the buxom peasant 
 women acting as wet-nurse, of which 
 there are about eight hundred, wear- 
 ing national costumes, with necklaces 
 of large glass beads. Fancy one wo- 
 man taking care of three screaming 
 children of the same age. When two 
 months old they are sent with their 
 nurse to the country, and cared for 
 until they become of age. If the 
 girls marry, they receive a wedding 
 outfit and presents of money. The 
 boys learn trades, and some enter 
 the army. In the hospital, many 
 among the trained nurses were 
 foundlings, and returned to the 
 institution to care for other helpless 
 creatures as they were themselves 
 cared for. 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 205 
 
 Every thing about this vast estab- 
 lishment was scrupulously clean and 
 comfortable. In the chapel there is 
 generally baptism going on, for many 
 of the poor infants have not been pre- 
 viously named. The laundry, kitchen, 
 and every household department we 
 found complete, but the puny babies, 
 wailing piteously, made us heart-sick. 
 They were swathed in muslin, with 
 their arms bound down ; the nurses 
 let their helpless heads bob about in 
 every direction. However, a merci- 
 ful Providence removes a large per- 
 centage of them from the sorrows of 
 this world. Some of these are chil- 
 dren of poor but honest parents, 
 who cannot afford to support them, 
 and knowing they will receive excel- 
 lent care send them to this hos- 
 pital. The government appropriates 
 annually an immense sum for its 
 support, but it seems as though it 
 must encourage crime ; it is, how- 
 
206 Land of the Viking. 
 
 ever, a greater problem than I care 
 to grapple with. 
 
 We expected to go to Nijni Nov- 
 gorod from Moscow, but were ad- 
 vised by experienced friends not to 
 undertake it, as, since the railroad 
 facilities have increased so greatly in 
 Russia, the fair has lost much of its 
 Oriental character, and lacks the in- 
 terest of former days. The trip is 
 an exhausting one, so we con- 
 tented ourselves with cross-ques- 
 tioning friends, who had found it a 
 wearisome experience, and told us 
 that the goods would compare favor- 
 ably with those on exhibition in the 
 Bowery, New York. 
 
 We greatly enjoyed the weeks 
 spent in Russia ; every thing seemed 
 novel to us. In St. Petersburg and 
 Moscow we often felt as if we were 
 far from Europe, and the queer cus- 
 toms, outlandish garb of the lower 
 classes, Oriental bazaars, and, above 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 207 
 
 all, the bulb-like domes and minarets, 
 added to the strangeness of the 
 scene ; and one great charm to me 
 was in meeting so few tourists. " Holy 
 Mother Moscow/' with her dirt and 
 magnificence, glorious churches and 
 remnants of barbarism, no wonder 
 the Russians rejoiced unspeakably 
 at the disasters of the hated French. 
 The gross superstition of the people, 
 their idolatry and devotion to out- 
 ward forms and to their Ikons, are 
 alike strange and repulsive. In the 
 cathedrals, the priceless jewels, splen- 
 did pictures, ornaments of rarest 
 minerals, the lavish expenditure on 
 the smallest details, were in strange 
 contrast to the poor, squalid, igno- 
 rant people thronging the churches, 
 whose rapt devotion was remarkable. 
 In the numerous palaces, ornaments, 
 and furnishings the wealth of the 
 Tsar is shown ; his power is supreme, 
 his possessions past computing, and 
 always increasing. 
 
208 Land of the Viking. 
 
 Russia impressed me as too vast 
 to comprehend ; figures convey but 
 small idea to one's mind, but her 
 territory equals one half of Europe, 
 and her undeveloped resources and 
 wealth are enormous, and far exceed- 
 ing our comprehension. What the 
 future will be of this wonderful 
 country no one can predict, but at 
 all events Russia would be a most 
 dangerous and mighty foe. Her 
 army is immense, and if the wealth 
 of jewels, rare minerals, and priceless 
 ornaments of all kinds were con- 
 verted into rubles, it seems as if her 
 power would be limitless. Then, 
 too, what might she not accomplish 
 in educating the masses of the peo- 
 ple, if the vast sums were expended 
 in that way, instead of in decorating 
 palaces and churches. The amount 
 represented in jewels alone would be 
 sufficient to raise from degradation 
 millions of ignorant, superstitious 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 209 
 
 peasants, whose enlightenment is less 
 than that of the heathen, but most 
 of whom are strangely patriotic. 
 
 But amid all these splendors, my 
 mind constantly reverted to the days 
 spent in tranquil, picturesque Nor- 
 way. There can be no lovelier coun- 
 try on earth, and away in those 
 northern waters we felt the power 
 and majesty of God to a profound 
 degree. 
 
 Fair Poland, how sad a fate is 
 thine ! From Moscow we went di- 
 rectly to Warsaw. The trip was 
 fatiguing, and in spite of a comfort- 
 able railway carriage the forty hours 
 seemed interminable. From the 
 Prague suburb of the city, we drove 
 to the extensive Hotel d'Europe, 
 where the management and food are 
 Russian. A national soup we ex- 
 perimented upon had a block of ice 
 floating in the remarkable decoction, 
 of which a taste more than sufficed. 
 
210 Land of the Viking. 
 
 The royal castle stands in a square 
 near the hotel, but most of its treas- 
 ures have been carried to St. Peters- 
 burg and Moscow. We took long 
 walks past monuments, shops, and 
 churches, which, after the splendor 
 of Russia's cathedrals, looked plain 
 to us. The beautiful Saxony gar- 
 den, with fine fountains, lovely flow- 
 ers, and a labyrinth of paths, stands 
 in the centre of the town, and is 
 the citizens' favorite resort. 
 
 From the cupola of a Lutheran 
 church we had an excellent view of 
 Warsaw ; the city covers an enor- 
 mous space, but failed to impress 
 us favorably. Driving in the park 
 was our only diversion. The pave- 
 ments were rough, and many 
 buildings seemed to be falling into 
 decay. Stationed in the streets were 
 mounted Russian guards, and every- 
 where we saw evidences of a con- 
 quered country, and an air of neglect 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 2 1 1 
 
 seemed to pervade the city. There 
 are, however, some fine private resi- 
 dences, standing in the midst of ex- 
 tensive grounds, belonging to noble 
 Polish families. While driving we 
 saw a few beautiful women, but 
 being summer most of the upper 
 classes were out of town. Reflecting 
 upon the present condition of Poland 
 filled us with sadness. How bravely 
 her sons fought to preserve their lib- 
 erty and rights ; how many names 
 are enrolled among the noblest of pa- 
 triots, but their bravery and sacrifices 
 were in vain, and to-day this fair 
 country is divided between Russia, 
 Prussia, and Austria. The Polish 
 refugees we have met in America 
 have shown such nobility and gran- 
 deur of character that we have longed 
 for an extensive acquaintance among 
 their country people. Our stay in 
 Warsaw depressed us, and we felt a 
 righteous indignation against those 
 
212 Land of the Viking. 
 
 who conquered these brave patriotic 
 people. 
 
 We spent pleasant days in Berlin, 
 where many military reviews held by 
 the Kaiser, museums, galleries, beau- 
 tiful parks, fine shops, and advanced 
 civilization were quite to our taste. 
 In Dresden, with its deservedly fa- 
 mous picture-galleries, and superb 
 representations of Wagnerian operas, 
 our enjoyment was great. 
 
 From thence we went to Cologne, 
 with its traditional smells, grand ca- 
 thedral, and church of eleven thou- 
 sand virgins, where the bones of the 
 slaughtered maidens are arranged on 
 the walls in grotesque designs. To 
 the Cologne gallery belongs Richter's 
 ideal portrait of the adored Queen 
 Louisa, from which we could not tear 
 ourselves, and after a prolonged view 
 returned again and again to gaze 
 spellbound on the exquisite face and 
 figure so beautifully portrayed. 
 
Sights Outside the Kremlin. 2 1 3 
 
 Down the Rhine we went to Bin- 
 gen where the mouse tower and 
 restored feudal castle of Rhinestein 
 vie with each other in picturesque 
 beauty, and from there to bright, 
 beautiful Paris, the American Mecca. 
 
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